Mohammad Rizwan named T20I vice-captain as Pakistan sail towards 2024 World Cup

Star Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has been appointed as the new vice-captain of Pakistan in T20I cricket. The news was announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) across their various social media handles. Acting as Shaheen Shah Afridi’s deputy in the shortest format, Rizwan’s appointment could be one that could be fruitful for the side.

Rizwan’s duties will begin with Pakistan’s upcoming five-game T20I series against New Zealand, which is slated to begin on January 12. The side’s horrid run in the ODI World Cup 2023 saw the PCB make big changes and remove star batter Babar Azam as the skipper in all formats.

Shaheen Afridi was named the new skipper of the T20I side, and the appointment of Rizwan as the pacer’s deputy makes sense on paper in the context of workload management for the 23-year-old. It is worth noting that Pakistan have already landed in Auckland ahead of their five-game series against the Black Caps as they begin their preparations for the T20 World Cup.

Pakistan aim to do better after Australia beating

Speaking of Pakistan’s recent performances, the side recently concluded their three-game Test series against Australia. Taking on the Pat Cummins-led side, the visitors were unable to clinch a victory in any of the Tests as they were clean-swept by the Aussies.

However, with the T20 World Cup looming on the horizon, Pakistan will look to shift their focus to the shorter formats, and facing New Zealand should be the way to go.

Pakistan’s track record in T20 World Cups has been quite impressive; the side made it to the summit clash of the tournament in 2022 after losing in the semi-final in 2021.

Pakistan Squad for NZ T20Is: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Azam Khan (wicket-keeper), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wicket-keeper), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Usama Mir, and Zaman Khan