Rizwan named captain of Pakistan's white-ball teams

Mohammad Rizwan has been named as Pakistan's new white-ball captain, taking over from Babar Azam, with his first matches to come against Australia's world champion 50-over side next month.

Rizwan will lead a rebuild of the white-ball teams following group-stage exits at the most recent ODI and T20 World Cups, with Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq all missing out in Pakistan's squads for the six limited-overs matches (three ODIs, three T20Is) in Australia.

Babar stepped down as skipper in all three formats last year after Pakistan failed to make the knockout stage of the 50-over World Cup, before returning as white-ball captain for the T20 World Cup where his team didn't make the Super Eight. He resigned again last month.

Pakistan squads for Australia tour

 

ODI squad: Mohammad Rizwan (c/wk), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Agha Salman, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wk), Irfan Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi

 

T20I squad: Mohammad Rizwan (c/wk), Abbas Afridi, Agha Salman, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wk), Irfan Khan, Jahandad Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Khan.

But Rizwan, who is joined in the white-ball squads by fellow senior heads Babar, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah despite that trio's being axed midway through the England series, now takes charge.

"I am deeply honoured to be appointed as Pakistan’s white-ball captain," he said.

"Representing Pakistan on the global stage is the greatest privilege and to now be entrusted with leading such a talented and exciting group of players is a tremendous honour. Joining the ranks of some of Pakistan’s legendary limited-overs captains truly is the icing on the cake."

Salman Ali Agha has been named as vice-captain and will lead the T20 team on a tour of Zimbabwe that begins in late-November despite having never played an international T20.

Babar, the world's top ODI batter, will be under scrutiny during the Australia tour, having failed to score a fifty in his last 12 international outings.

The pace duo of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah will also be closely watched as they return from injuries, following disappointing performances in the Multan Test against England where they conceded 1-120 and 2-157 respectively. Pakistan's subsequent resurgence in that series has been largely thanks to their spinners.

Uncapped players in the ODI squad include Aamir Jamal, Arafat Minhas, Faisal Akram, Haseebullah, Muhammad Irfan Khan, and Saim Ayub. Jahandad Khan and Salman Ali Agha join the T20I squad for the first time.

Veterans Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Nawaz have also missed out, while Abrar Ahmed and Azam Khan have been excluded from the T20 squads.

Fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain, player of the Champions One-Day Cup in Faisalabad last month with 17 wickets, also returns to the ODI side, having last represented Pakistan in an ODI against New Zealand in January 2023.

Hasnain was called for throwing on his last visit to Australia while playing for Sydney Thunder during the BBL in 2022.

Apart from Babar, Naseem, Rizwan, Salman, and Shaheen, four other players have been selected in both the ODI and T20I squads – Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah and Muhammad Irfan Khan.

Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Faisal Akram, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, and Saim Ayub were selected only for the ODIs and will be replaced by Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Sufyan Moqim, and Usman Khan for the T20Is.

Haseebullah, Haris Rauf, Muhammad Irfan Khan and Salman are the four players who will be part of the squads from the start of the Australia tour to the end of Zimbabwe tour.

Pakistan's new selection committee, led by Aqib Javed, is confident that the decision to announce separate squads for ODIs and T20Is will provide role clarity for players and help them manage their workloads more effectively.

"This approach follows the selectors’ rotation policy and provides opportunities to domestic performers, aligning with the team’s strategy for the ICC Champions Trophy and beyond," said the PCB.

Australia are expected to name their T20 squad on Monday having last week confirmed their 50-over squad captained by Pat Cummins.

Australia v Pakistan limited-overs series 2024

Australia ODI squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Pakistan ODI squad: Mohammad Rizwan, Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Agha Salman, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Irfan Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi

November 4: MCG, 2.30pm AEDT

November 8: Adelaide Oval, 2.30pm AEDT

November 10: Perth Stadium, 2.30pm AEDT

Australia T20 squad: Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Pakistan T20 squad: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Abbas Afridi, Agha Salman, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Irfan Khan, Jahandad Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Khan.

November 14: Gabba, 7.00pm AEDT

November 16: SCG: 7.00pm AEDT

November 18: Bellerive Oval, Hobart, 7.00pm AEDT

All matches live and excluisve on Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports