Pakistan have confirmed that Mohammad Rizwan will replace Babar Azam as their new ODI And T20I captain with the tour of Australia his first series in charge.Salman Ali Agha has been named as the vice-captain of the team in both formats although he is yet to make his debut in T20Is for the Men in Green.
Last month, Babar resigned from the top job as his second stint lasted less than a year. Previously, Babar had stepped down from captaincy from all three formats of the game in November last year after the 2023 World Cup where Pakistan failed to reach the semi-final.
He was named the captain of the white-ball team again in March after Shaheen Afridi's tenure lasted just one series. Babar led the team in the 2024 T20 World Cup where the Men in Green were knocked out in the group stage after humilating defeats to minnows United States of America (USA) and arch-rivals India.
It is worth noting that Pakistan's last ODI game was at the 2023 Cricket World Cup on 11th November against England and they have not played any match in the format for nearly a year. While PCB had only named Shaheen as a T20I captain, Babar did not lead the Pakistan team in ODIs in his second sint.
Rizwan has never led Pakistan in an ODI or T20I game in his career previously although he did captain the side in two Test matches against New Zealand in 2020/21.
Rizwan has an impressive track record as captain in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) having captained Multan Sultans to the title in 2022 and three consecutive runners-up finishes in 2022, 2023, and 2024. He also led the Wolves team in the 2024 Champions Cup.
"If I start considering myself a king as captain, then everything will fall apart. Rather, as a leader, I am here to serve the 15 men of the team. This is how it should be. Regarding achievements, Inshallah, we have the messages and support from everyone in our box, who are asking us only one thing: fight, fight, and fight. They keep sending us this message again and again, and we will try our best, Inshallah, to show the whole nation that there is no lack of fight in us.
"We have left the results to Allah, and whatever the outcome, we accept it. But in terms of fighting spirit, there will be no shortage—this is our guarantee," said Rizwan on his appointment as the captain.
Shan Masood remains the captain of the Test team.
Pakistan ODI Squad vs Australia: Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Agha Salman, Shaheen Shah Afridi
Pakistan T20I Squad vs Australia: Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Agha Salman, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan
Pakistan ODI Squad vs Zimbabwe: Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, Agha Salman, Shahnawaz Dahani and Tayyab Tahir
Pakistan T20I Squad vs Zimbabwe: Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Agha Salman, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan