Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to appoint Mohammad Rizwan as the T20I captain of Pakistan.
Fast-bowler Shaheen Afridi is currently leading the Men in Green in the shortest format of the game. He replaced Babar Azam as the T20I captain last year after the latter stepped down as captain in all three formats following Pakistan’s disastrous campaign in the ODI World Cup. Afridi got the captaincy after impressing in the PSL where he led Lahore Qalandars to title in 2022 and 2023.
His first assignment as Pakistan captain was the five-match T20I series in New Zealand. Afridi failed to make an impact as a captain as his team lost the series 4-1. And while he has led Pakistan in just one series so far, Basit Ali believes he should be replaced by Mohammad Rizwan.
Basit Ali backs Mohammad Rizwan as T20I captain:
Speaking on PSL special show ‘Har Lamha Purjosh’ with host Waseem Badami, Basit Ali threw his support behind Mohammad Rizwan and said that newly-appointed PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi should change the captain soon.
“I think this is the best time to name Rizwan captain, to raise the level of Pakistani cricket. I have some free advice for the newly-appointed PCB chairman, this is the right time to take this bold step and name him as captain,” said Basit Ali.
Speaking further, he also criticized Afridi’s captaincy during the tour of New Zealand, saying: “4-1 defeat from NZ, after Babar’s removal from captaincy, is a good enough reason that bold decisions must be made now, to prepare ahead of World Cup.”
Meanwhile, Mohammad Rizwan and Afridi have made contrasting starts as captains in the ongoing season of the PSL. While Afridi is leading Lahore Qalandars, his Pakistan teammate is leading Multan Sultans. The Qalandars are yet to open their account in PSL 2024 and have lost all of their three games so far. On the other hand, the Sultans won their first three games before losing to Peshawar Zalmi.
