Basit Ali: “If you don’t make him captain at this time, then it is a loss for Pakistan. This is the best time you should make Rizwan the captain”
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Former cricketer Basit Ali believes this is the best time to make wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan Pakistan captain.
The 32-year-old is one of the favourites to replace Babar Azam as limited overs skipper after the latter resigned from the role at the beginning of October.
There are also doubts about Shan Masood’s future as Test captain, which may open the door for Rizwan to take over should he be deemed the ideal successor.
In Basit’s opinion, he sees no one superior to the Peshawar native when it comes to captaincy candidates and urged Pakistan to put him in charge as he has proven his leadership skills at the domestic level and in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he captains the Multan Sultans.
“The way Rizwan led the side, he proved there is no better skipper than him. He has shown it with his captaincy. He read the pitch; it is a big thing. Even Babar can’t do that. I am not even talking about Shan. If you don’t make him captain at this time, then it is a loss for Pakistan. This is the best time you should make Rizwan the captain,” Basit said on his YouTube channel as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
Rizwan recently featured in Pakistan’s two-Test series against Bangladesh and scored 294 runs, which included a career-best knock of 171 not out, at an average of 98.
He then captained the Markhors in the Champions One-Day Cup, which was a 50-over tournament held in Faisalabad.
In five matches, he made 149 runs, which included a top score of 51, at an average of 29.80.
Rizwan is now in action in Pakistan’s three-match Test series against England and made scores of 0 and 10 in the first Test in Multan, which the men in green lost by an innings and 47 runs.
The second Test will begin on October 15 in Multan.
Pakistan Squad for 2nd and 3rd Tests against England:Â Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Zahid Mahmood.