ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Monday that it had appointed wicketkeeper batter Muhammad Rizwan as the new T20 vice-captain of the national squad, days before the green shirts kick off a cricket series against New Zealand.
Since making his debut against Bangladesh in 2015, Rizwan cemented his place as a regular in Pakistan’s white-ball cricket squads. The star batter, who is also captain of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans, is considered one of Pakistan’s strongest opening batters in the shortest format of the game.
He has played 85 T20Is, amassing 2,797 runs, including one century and 25 half-centuries. Behind the stumps, Rizwan has taken 41 catches and 11 stumpings.
“The Pakistan Cricket Board has appointed wicketkeeper batter Muhammad Rizwan as vice-captain of the T20 national team,” the PCB said in a statement. “Rizwan is part of the national T20 squad selected for the New Zealand series.”
Speaking to PCB Digital, Rizwan said it was an “honor” for him to be named vice-captain. “I am thankful to the PCB for entrusting me with this responsibility. I am looking forward to working closely with the captain, coaching staff, and my teammates to contribute to the team’s success,” he said.
Pakistan arrived in Auckland for the five-match T20I series against the Black Caps on Monday morning. The series will kick off from January 12, and will be left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi’s first assignment as captain of the national squad.
“Training for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand will start tomorrow,” the PCB wrote on X.
Afridi was handed leadership of Pakistan’s T20 squad in November after former captain Babar Azam stepped down as skipper of all formats of the game. Azam’s decision came after Pakistan’s hapless performance in the 50-over World Cup in India, where the 1992 champions failed to qualify for the semifinal stages of the tournament.
