Ramiz Raja: “Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are the heavyweights of Pakistan cricket, they are the big boys”
Image courtesy of: Unsplash
Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja has called limited overs captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan the “big boys” and “heavyweights of Pakistan cricket.”
Azam and Rizwan are Pakistan’s most consistent run-scorers and have regularly led the team to victory.
They also opened the batting in T20Is until the recent five-match series against New Zealand, where Azam was moved down to number three and Saim Ayub took his opening spot.
Given how much the duo have done for the men in green over the years, Ramiz insisted there is no denying that they are the cream of the crop.
“Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are the heavyweights of Pakistan cricket, they are the big boys,” he was quoted as saying by journalist Farid Khan on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Azam captained the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and finished as the highest run-scorer with 569 runs in 11 games, which included a century and five fifties, at an average of 56.90 and a strike-rate of 142.60.
Rizwan, meanwhile, led the Multan Sultans and was the third-highest run-scorer with 407 runs in 12 matches, which included four fifties, at an average of 33.91 and a strike-rate of 122.22.
Azam and Rizwan were recently involved in Pakistan’s five-match T20I series against New Zealand, with the former scoring 125 runs in five games, which included a top score of 69, at an average of 31.25 and a strike-rate of 138.88.
As for Rizwan, he accumulated 67 runs in three matches.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a three-match T20I series against Ireland from May 10 to 14.
Following that, they will play four T20Is against England from May 22 to May 30.
Pakistan Squad for Ireland and England T20I Series:Â Babar Azam (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan