Shaheen Shah Afridi: “Mohammad Rizwan’s batting is different from Babar Azam’s; Rizwan prefers to play against fast bowling more”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has revealed that wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan enjoys facing fast bowling more than Babar Azam.
He added that Rizwan’s batting approach is also different from Azam’s.
Both Azam and Rizwan have been mainstays of the national team for several years and have repeatedly guided the men in green to victory with their strong performances with the bat.
“Mohammad Rizwan’s batting is different from Babar Azam’s; Rizwan prefers to play against fast bowling more,” Afridi was quoted as saying by journalist Arfa Feroz Zake on X.
Azam and Afridi recently played in the 2026 T20 World Cup, but Rizwan was not part of the squad.
Pakistan then toured Bangladesh for three ODIs, but Azam was left out of the side while Rizwan and Afridi took part in the series.
The trio were then involved in the 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL), with Azam captaining the Peshawar Zalmi to the title and Rizwan and Afridi leading the Rawalpindiz and Lahore Qalandars respectively.
Azam also finished as the highest run-scorer in the tournament with 588 runs in 11 games, which included two centuries and three fifties, at an average of 73.50 and a strike-rate of 145.90.
Rizwan ended up making 204 runs in 10 games for Rawalpindiz at an average of 20.40 and a strike-rate of 116.57.
As for Afridi, he took 16 wickets in 10 matches for the Qalandars at an average of 18.18 and an economy rate of 7.86.
Pakistan are now playing a two-Test series against Bangladesh, but ended up losing the 1st Test in Mirpur by 104 runs.
Rizwan posted scores of 59 and 15, while Afridi picked up five wickets in total. Azam did not feature in the match due to a left knee injury.
The 2nd Test will begin on May 16 in Sylhet.