New Delhi: Mohammad Rizwan said he doesn’t consider himself a ‘king’ and would treat all his teammates equally in his first press conference after taking over as the new white-ball captain of Pakistan. Rizwan was on Sunday appointed as Pakistan’s captain in ODIs and T20Is ahead of their limited-overs series against Zimbabwe and Australia. Rizwan will replace Babar Azam as Pakistan’s new captain.
Babar had resigned from captaincy earlier this year following Pakistan’s exit from the T20 World Cup 2024. The captaincy position was vacant with PCB mulling over several options. However, wicket-keeper batter Rizwan pipped others in the race to take over captaincy.
Speaking at a press conference following his appointment, Rizwan said there will be no groups in the Pakistan team as he sees the entire squad as one. The Pakistan white-ball skipper said he will only act as the leader of the side and not try to become a ‘king’. The prolific right-hander said he would like to serve each member of his squad and motivate them to win for the country.
“Yes, I am part of a group: the group of the whole Pakistan team. For me, as a captain, all 15 players of Pakistan are captains,” Rizwan said in the presser, addressing concerns regarding groupism in the Pakistan team.
“As captain, my role is to go out there for the toss, presentation, press conference, etc. All players are captains and leaders. If I think of myself as a king while being captain, then everything’s wrong. Rather, as a leader, I am here to serve the 15 men of the team,” he added.
Rizwan was one of the leading contenders to take over the reins in white-ball cricket for Pakistan after Babar’s decision to step down from captaincy. He has been one of Pakistan’s most consistent performers in limited-overs cricket over the last few years and has been rewarded for his consistency. Rizwan captains his franchise Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
