Mohammad Rizwan has called himself the captain just for ‘toss and presentations’ after Pakistan’s ODI series win in Australia on Sunday, November 10. This was Rizwan’s first series as skipper of the white-ball team after replacing Babar Azam before the series down under. Pakistan performed exceptionally well during the series with ball, especially in the last 2 games as they were able to bowl out the hosts cheaply in Adelaide and Perth.
Pakistan defeated Australia in the final ODI on Sunday by 8 wickets with Rizwan and Babar seeing the team home in the end. Speaking at the post-match presentation, the Pakistan skipper said it was a special moment for him and people back home would be happy with the win as they haven’t performed well in the past few years.
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Talking about his captaincy, Rizwan said he takes a lot of inputs from everyone on the field and works accordingly.
“Special moment for me, the nation will be very happy today, we didn’t perform as per expectations in the last couple of years. I’m the captain only for the toss and presentations – everyone gives me suggestions on the field, the batting group and the bowling group,” said Rizwan.
Rizwan paid special tribute to the bowlers for the series win, especially given that conditions in Australia aren’t always easy for the visiting team. The Pakistan skipper also praised his openers Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique for setting up the chases in the last 2 games.
Rizwan signed off by dedicating the win to the fans back home in Pakistan and claiming he doesn’t care a lot about what is being written in the press.
“All the credit to the bowlers, Australia in Australia isn’t easy, the conditions suit their style of playing, but the bowlers were outstanding. Also credit to the two openers, they made the chases easy. I don’t care a lot about the press, but the people back home are always behind us and I want to dedicate this victory to them,” said Rizwan.
Australia and Pakistan will now face-off in a 3-match T20I series, which will begin on November 14, Thursday.