KARACHI: Pakistan’s new white-ball skipper Mohammad Rizwan said Tuesday he hopes a new-look squad will settle into form on their Australia tour, after a saga of upheaval for the side.
Rizwan was appointed captain of limited over formats on Sunday, replacing Babar Azam who had two turns in the post but wasn’t able to allay a run of disastrous tournament performances.
Pakistan suffered further tumult on Monday when white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten resigned over differences on selection just days before the Australia tour. Test coach Jason Gillespie will stand in as a replacement.
Three one-day international matches will kick off in Melbourne on November 4, followed by the same number of T20Is in a test of the team ahead of next year’s Champion Trophy.
Openers Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq were dropped on fitness and disciplinary issues.
“We will miss them, but ahead of a major event like the Champions Trophy we want to test various combinations and hope they will settle before the event,” Rizwan told reporters.
Pakistan recalled Azam and pace spearheads Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah for the series after dropping them for the last two Tests of the England series they won 2-1 last week.
The ODI squad also includes Aamer Jamal, Arafat Minhas, Faisal Akram, Haseebullah, Muhammad Irfan Khan and Saim Ayub who have yet to play the format.
Jahandad Khan and Salman Ali Agha are previously untested players included in the T20I squad.
“Whoever is the coach we need to combine well and bring good results on a tough tour,” said Rizwan.
Pakistan have won only two of their last 16 ODIs in Australia and lost three of the four T20Is.
New Pakistan white-ball skipper hopes Australia tour settles side
https://arab.news/wsz6r
New Pakistan white-ball skipper hopes Australia tour settles side
- Mohammad Rizwan was appointed captain of limited over formats on Sunday, replacing Babar Azam
- Three one-day international matches will kick off in Melbourne on November 4, followed by three T20Is
Pakistan expresses condolences as Bangladesh’s first female PM passes away
- Khaleda Zia passed away in Dhaka after prolonged illness at the age of 80, says her party
- PM Shehbaz Sharif describes Zia as a “committed friend of Pakistan” in condolence message
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday expressed condolences over the passing of Bangladesh’s first female prime minister, Khaleda Zia, describing her as a committed friend of Islamabad.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) announced its leader Zia had passed away at the age of 80 after prolonged illness. She died at the Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, where the former prime minister was admitted on Nov. 23 with symptoms of a lung infection, according to The Daily Star, a Bangladesh news website.
“Deeply saddened by the passing of Begum Khaleda Zia, Chairperson of the BNP and former Prime Minister of Bangladesh,” Sharif wrote on social media platform X.
“Her lifelong service to Bangladesh and its growth and development leaves a lasting legacy.”
Sharif said his government and people stand with the people of Bangladesh during this difficult time.
“Begum Zia was a committed friend of Pakistan,” he added.
Pakistan and Bangladesh used to be part of the same country before the latter seceded into the separate nation of Bangladesh after a bloody civil war in 1971.
Ties between the two countries have remained mostly strained since then. However, Islamabad enjoyed better relations with Dhaka under Zia’s government compared to when Bangladesh was led by her arch-rival, Sheikh Hasina.
Hasina was ousted after a violent uprising last year, leading to improved relations between Islamabad and Dhaka.
Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, Zia vowed in November to campaign in elections set for February 2026.
The BNP is widely seen as a frontrunner, and Zia’s son Tarique Rahman, who returned only on Thursday after 17 years in exile, is seen as a potential prime minister if they win a majority.
-With additional input from AFP
