Ahmed Shehzad: “Mohammad Rizwan played his politics and eventually got the captaincy he wanted”
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Pakistan batsman Ahmed Shehzad has called out wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan for using politics to gain the limited overs captaincy.
Rizwan was appointed white-ball captain in October 2024, succeeding Babar Azam, who stepped down from the role.
The 32-year-old from Peshawar is a beloved cricketer, with many pointing out how he plays the game in the right spirit.
However, Shehzad hinted that Rizwan utilised devious tactics to grab hold of the leadership role.
“Mohammad Rizwan played his politics and eventually got the captaincy he wanted,” he was quoted as saying by Khel Shel.
Rizwan made his captaincy debut in the recent white-ball series against Australia.
In the three ODIs that were played, he made 74 runs at an average of 74 as Pakistan won 2-1, which was their first ODI series win in Australia since 2002.
After that, he was involved in the three-match T20I series, which the men in green lost 3-0.
He only featured in two games but was limited to 16 runs at an average of eight.
Pakistan are now facing Zimbabwe in a three-match ODI series and find themselves trailing 1-0 after losing the first game by 80 runs via the DLS method.
The second ODI will be played on November 26 in Bulawayo.
Following this, the two teams will face each other in three T20Is, with the first match beginning on December 1 in Bulawayo.
Pakistan Squad for Zimbabwe ODI Series: Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani, Tayyab Tahir
Pakistan Squad for Zimbabwe T20I Series: Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Irfan Khan, Omair bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan
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