Ramiz Raja: “Rizwan continues to show resistance with the bat. But, how long will he continue to fight alone?”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja has asked how long wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan can “continue to fight alone”.
Ramiz praised the 32-year-old for continuing to “show resistance with the bat” during the two-Test series against Bangladesh, where he made 294 runs, which included a career-best 171 not out, at an average of 98.
Despite Rizwan’s efforts, Pakistan ended up losing the series 2-0.
In Ramiz’s opinion, he feels the Peshawar native cannot be the only batsman scoring runs and stressed the need for other players to step up and prove they belong in the team.
“Rizwan continues to show resistance with the bat. But, how long will he continue to fight alone?” he was quoted as saying by Samaa TV.
Rizwan is now captaining the Markhors in the Champions One-Day Cup, which is a domestic 50-over competition being played in Faisalabad.
In four matches, he has scored 149 runs, which includes a top score of 51, at an average of 37.25.
The Pakistan team will be back in action next month when they take on England in a three-Test series from October 7 to 28.
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Shaheen Shah Afridi