Pakistan appointment Mohammad Rizwan as the vice-captain of their T20I team on January 8. Rizwan will be Shaheen Shah Afridi’s deputy from the upcoming five-match series against New Zealand, starting January 12..
Shaheen Afridi had replaced Babar Azam, who stepped down from captaincy from all formats after the ICC World Cup 2023 debacle. Afridi-led team landed in Auckland ahead of the first game.
Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan are associated with the team for a long time. Rizwan has done well in the batting department, with 2797 runs from 85 T20Is. He has hit 1 hundred and 25 half-centuries.
Rizwan hasn’t had the chance to be in a leadership role in the past. He was crucial to the team’s prospects during Babar Azam’s era. Pakistan made it to the semi-finals and final in the ICC T20 World Cup in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Rizwan’s appointment will also help the management to manage the workload of their new captain Shaheen Afridi.
Pakistan have three wicketkeepers in the form of Azam Khan, Haseebullah and Rizwan for the series against the Kiwis.
Pakistan squad for 5 T20Is against New Zealand
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
Full schedule of the NZ-PAK series
1st T20 – 12 January 2024 at Eden Park, Auckland
2nd T20 – 14 January 2024 at Seddon Park, Hamilton
3rd T20 – 17 January 2024 at University Oval, Dunedin
4th T20 – 19 January 2024 at Hagley Oval, Christchurch
5th T20 – 21 January 2024 at Hagley Oval, Christchurch