I would love to have five wicket-keepers in Pakistan squad: Rizwan

Mohammad Rizwan is not worried by the emergence of young wicketkeepers in the ongoing eighth season of HBL Pakistan Super League.

Azam Khan has already showed his batting prowess in leagues around the world, whereas Mohammad Haris was an integral part of Pakistan’s T20 campaign in 2022 T20 World Cup.

“I’d love to have not one or two but at least five wicket-keepers in the Pakistan squad. But they need to meet the required standards for it. I’m not fazed by the competition; in fact, I’m myself trying to search for more wicket-keepers in Pakistan,” Rizwan said to Dawn newspaper.

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Emerging batsman, Haseebullah, scored sparkling 50 off 29, which was studded with four fours and three sixes – two off them hit off the same Imad Wasim over – and played a crucial role in helping Peshawar Zalmi recover as the wicketkeeper from Pishin stitched 82 runs for the third wicket with Kohler-Cadmore. The partnership played a key role in Zalmi beating Karachi Kings on Wednesday.

However, Rizwan believes that young wicketkeepers need to replicate their domestic performances at the international stage.

“I’ve recently seen Haseebullah, he is performing well and his technique is really good,” he said.

 “However, it is important for players [performing in the domestic circuit] to play at the level that is required as a Pakistan player, otherwise the performances go to waste,” he added.

Rizwan is also competing for wicketkeeper spot in Test squad after he was replaced by Sarfaraz in the New Zealand Test series.

Rizwan later revealed in an interview with Cricket Pakistan, that he himself asked the team management to drop him.

“You can ask the head coach Saqlain Mushtaq that what I told him after the end of the England Test series,” said Rizwan, “I was happy to see Sarfaraz perform because that is what I wanted. I personally thought that since I wasn’t able to perform, I didn’t deserve to play in the next series.

Some players said that every player goes through this phase and you can’t sit on the bench based on few failures.”

Sarfaraz hammered 335 runs at an incredible average of 83.75 in the two Tests and was the highest run-getter in the New Zealand series. He was also adjudged Player of the Series after his ton and half-century in the second Test against New Zealand.