Rizwan Demands Greater Authority as Pakistan Captain or He Will Step Down, Informs PCB

Mumbai, April 9 (NationPress) Following Pakistan's disappointing performance in their white-ball series against New Zealand, captain Mohammad Rizwan, along with prominent batsman Babar Azam, is scheduled to meet Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), in the coming days. They seek clarity regarding Rizwan's selection in the T20I format and desire increased authority as captain.

A senior PCB official disclosed to Telecom Asia Sport (www.telecomasia.net) on the condition of anonymity that Rizwan is discontented with the selectors' choice to exclude him and Babar Azam from the five-match T20I series in New Zealand.

The two players have requested a meeting with the PCB chief after the team management and selection committee opted to omit them in favor of trying out younger players under new captain Salman Agha.

This information was also confirmed by sources close to Rizwan.

"Rizwan is expected to meet the PCB chairman as soon as possible to clarify the reason behind his exclusion from the T20I team," the sources told Telecom Asia Sport (www.telecomasia.net).

Rizwan assumed the role of white-ball captain in October of last year but was rested from the shorter format during the series in Zimbabwe, later leading the T20I series against South Africa. "I can't comment on T20; it's not my role. Just like in ODIs, I don't have all the authority. We were neither informed nor consulted about the T20I exclusion. It was a decision made without our input, and we accepted it as we have previously," Rizwan stated after Pakistan's clean sweep defeat in New Zealand.

Sources indicated that Rizwan was at odds with head coach Aaqib Javed regarding the selection of the team for the first two matches, advocating for five regular bowlers.

Pakistan fielded four regular bowlers and relied on part-timers Salman Agha and Irfan Khan to complete the remaining 10 overs, a strategy that proved detrimental as the two part-timers conceded a total of 118 runs. "Rizwan is looking to gain more influence in selecting the playing eleven, and if he does not receive full authority, he may consider resigning from the ODI captaincy," stated the source.

Furthermore, sources revealed that the PCB has reached out to several foreign coaches to potentially replace interim head coach Aaqib Javed, and some former Pakistan players are also being considered for the position. Players will be preoccupied with the Pakistan Super League until May 18, after which they will face Bangladesh in five T20Is.

Rizwan hopes to gain clarity on his T20I removal and the level of autonomy he will have as captain in white-ball formats prior to that.