LAHORE: After being unveiled as Pakistan’s new white-ball captain on Sunday, Mohammad Rizwan has his eyes set on the task of preparing the national side next year’s ICC Champions Trophy and the 2026 T20 World Cup.
The process of finding Pakistan’s best combination for the two high-profile events starts as early as November 4, when the team takes on Australia for the first of the three One-day Internationals Down Under.
The ODI series will be followed by as many Twenty20 Internationals before Pakistan travel to Zimbabwe for the same number of matches in each of the formats.
The squads for both tours, announced on Sunday, include a host of young players along with the likes of seniors Babar Azam — who stepped down from white-ball captain earlier this month — Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf.
Fresh faces in squads for Australia, Zimbabwe tours
Shaheen, Naseem and Babar, however, will be “rested” for the Zimbabwe tour.
With Salman Ali Agha named white-ball vice-captain, Pakistan’s rosters for Australia and Zimbabwe include Faisal Akram, Aamer Jamal, Sufiyan Moqim, Arafat Minhas and Jahandad Khan among other new faces, suggesting the team’s think tank wants to develop a fresh combination for the Champions Trophy and the T20 World Cup, laced with young players.
Fast-bowler Mohammad Hasnain also returns following his impressive show in the domestic one-day tournament Champions Cup. Senior players Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed, meanwhile, have been left out.
“Our focus is on the long term; we are not just thinking short-term,” Rizwan said during a press conference here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday. “If you look at the squad for the [Australia and Zimbabwe] series, you’ll see that some players are senior and others are junior.
“The combination we are eyeing for the major events is crucial. Perhaps we can form a team that starts preparing for those events right now.”
In the press conference, Rizwan was flanked by de facto chief selector Aaqib Javed and Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who revealed that the squads were decided following multiple “eight-hour-long” meetings between the selectors and the new captain.
“In my meetings with the chairman and the selection committee, I found that the best thing is that the selection committee and the mentors are trying to be on the same page,” said Rizwan, 32. “We are focusing on how to bridge the gap between our young talent and the senior players at the international standard.
“Our top priority right now is to elevate our young talent to the international level. We have some time before the Champions Trophy and the [T20] World Cup, and I hope that by then, our best eleven will be decided.”
NOT A ‘KING’
Rizwan said he wanted to work along with the selectors and all other stakeholders as captain to act in the best favour of the Pakistan team, rather than being a one-man show.
“The more minds that come together and the more debate we have about players, the better our chances of finding good players,” he noted.
“It’s not just about a single person making decisions. This collaboration is beneficial, and I am personally pleased with it.”
The wicket-keeper-batter suggested he wanted each and every player under him to act as a leader.
“If I consider myself a king as a captain, everything will go wrong. Rather, as a leader, I should serve all 15 players,” he observed, while adding that all that the PCB chairman and selectors required from him and his team was to “fight, fight, fight”.
Aaqib, who has been widely hailed for leading the charge in the preparation of spin pitches and taking hard selection decision that led to Pakistan’s recent 2-1 Test series triumph over England, believed the formula of doing well in white-ball cricket was also simple.
“In white-ball cricket, whether you’re playing at home or away, we all know that fitness should be a top priority, along with skill,” he said. “We should focus on developing the composition in both bowling and batting. I believe that Pakistan can have a bright future, even in white-ball cricket.
Aaqib reiterated Rizwan’s vision of getting Pakistan ready for the Champions Trophy and the T20 World Cup.
“… our main effort is to create a team that focuses on white-ball cricket, especially with upcoming tournaments like the Champions Trophy, World Cup, and T20 World Cup,” he said. “For that, we need to consistently bring in young talent and give them opportunities.”
Meanwhile, Mohsin suggested Rizwan’s tenure will last as long as Pakistan do well in the white-ball formats.
“We consulted all the stakeholders before deciding Rizwan’s name as skipper for white-ball team,” he said.
Pakistan open the Australia tour with the first ODI in Melbourne before playing the second and third games in Adelaide (November 8) and Perth (November 10). That will be followed by T20Is in Brisbane (November 14), Sydney (November 16) and Hobart (November 18).
Squads for Australia:
ODI: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi
T20I: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi,Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan
Squads for Zimbabwe:
ODI: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani, Tayyab Tahir
T20I: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Irfan Khan, Omair bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan.
Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2024
