As reported by ARY, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to appoint Mohammad Rizwan as vice-captain of the men’s team. As per previous reports, the wicket-keeping batter was one of the candidates in contention for captaincy.
After Babar Azam is brought back to the helm for white-ball cricket, Rizwan is likely to be named his deputy. Notably, Azam replaced Shaheen in T20I format, who was named captain after the World Cup 2023 replacing Babar in the format.
Shan Masood was named the Test skipper while the ODI spot remained vacant. As a couple of T20I endeavours loom for Pakistan followed by the all-important T20 World Cup 2024, the new PCB management has re-named Azam as skipper for ODIs and T20Is.
Notably, there is no threat to Shan’s captaincy in red-ball. The reason behind replacing Shaheen as a captain in T20Is was a poor start to his campaign. He lost a five-match T20I series against New Zealand earlier this year by 4-1.
Furthermore, under his leadership, Lahore Qalandars managed to win only one out of ten games, ending at the end of the leaderboard. PCB felt a need to have more experience on the board, given the World Cup in a short span. Reportedly, the decision did not go well with Shaheen.
However, skipper Babar has lately clarified all speculated tension regarding his relationship with Shaheen. You can read the full story here.
Pakistan are currently playing New Zealand in a five-match T20I series at home. Babar is leading the men in green, however, there is no vice-captain as of now. The official news regarding Rizwan is likely to come out in a few days.
Notably, before changes in recent leadership posts, all-rounder Shadab Khan was Babar’s deputy across formats. It should be noted Pakistan will tour Ireland and England for T20I series before the World Cup starting June 1st.
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