According to former Pakistan fast bowler Sikandar Bakht, Mohammad Rizwan should do the honorable thing and resign as Pakistan captain following the Champions Trophy, saying he does not understand a single word spoken by Rizwan.
Having lost two of their group-stage matches against New Zealand and their archrivals India, the men in green are out of contention for a semifinal spot in the Champions Trophy.
While Rizwan had big shoes to fill while leading Pakistan after Babar Azam resided as captain and boasts a not-so-bad record in the bilateral series, the disappointed Champions Trophy lamented a setback.
“Rizwan must resign from the captaincy. He does not express himself well: whatever he said, I didn’t understand. If he cannot speak his mind with confidence, how can he aspire to be the captain?” Bakht told Geo News.
“Rizwan’s captaincy is known to us. Bad choice as a captain; ditto for Babar Azam,” Bakht said.
Thus far, Rizwan has led Pakistan in 14 matches, winning 8 and losing 6. He is also the captain of the Multan Sultans, a franchise in the Pakistan Super League that won the title under his captaincy four years ago.
“It is high time we make changes. Terminate their central contracts. Until the team starts performing, there should be no central contracts for them. There’s got to be some performance. If you’re working in a corporate setup, you’re given a task to perform, and failing that, you’re shown the door,” claimed Bakht.
Pakistan plays Bangladesh in their final league stage match on February 27 in Rawalpindi, which is an opportunity to redeem themselves in their Champions Trophy campaign.
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi so far has not made any comment regarding Rizwan’s men, who have seen their hopes of qualifying for knockout matches end because of a crushing sixth defeat.
However, all former players criticized the team for their approach, attitude, and planning; former pacer Wasim Akram said it was time for a change before next year’s T20 World Cup in the white-ball format.
Former pacer Shoaib Akhtar, among the fastest bowlers in cricket history, went even further, declaring Babar to be a fraud.
