A few days after Pakistan’s tough outing in New Zealand, captain Mohammad Rizwan and star batsman Babar Azam are set to talk with Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), soon. They’re looking for answers about why they weren’t picked for the T20I matches and want more say as captains. A senior PCB official told Telecom Asia Sport that Rizwan is frustrated about their removal from the squad. The selectors decided to bring in some younger players under the new captain, Salman Agha, which didn’t sit well with them.
Sources close to Rizwan confirmed that he’s eager to meet with the PCB chairman to understand why he was dropped. Rizwan took over as the white-ball captain last October but was rested for a series in Zimbabwe. He mentioned that he couldn’t really comment on the T20 situation since he wasn’t consulted about the decision.
There have been reports of tension between Rizwan and head coach Aaqib Javed over the team lineup for the first two games, where Rizwan wanted five regular bowlers. Instead, they played with just four and tried to use part-timers, which didn’t work out well.
Rizwan is looking to gain more input in team selection, and there are whispers that if he doesn’t get that, he might step down from the ODI captaincy. Meanwhile, the PCB has been in touch with some foreign coaches and former players for the head coach position. Players will be busy with the Pakistan Super League until May 18, and after that, they have a series against Bangladesh lined up. Rizwan is hoping to clarify his T20 situation and get a better grip on his duties as captain before then.