Image Credit- AFP
Mohammad Rizwan, a batter and wicketkeeper for Pakistan, addressed the media in Peshawar after the team’s early elimination from the T20 World Cup in the Americas. Pakistan lost to the tournament’s hosts and newcomers, the USA, as well as bitter rivals India, and was eliminated from the T20 World Cup in the group stage. The players have faced harsh criticism, with some ex-players calling for the dismissal of the entire squad. Rumours of groupism within the team have also surfaced, negatively affecting the atmosphere in the dressing room.
Although Rizwan acknowledged that the fan base’s criticism is warranted, he dismissed the speculations of group dynamics and politics within the team as “outside chatter.”
“People are saying that there’s some politics within the team, and there are some differences. If there were any differences, we have also lost games before. This is just outside chatter. This same team has played finals, semi-finals, but it is true that we haven’t won a trophy,” Rizwan said during a press conference in Peshawar.
“The criticism the team is facing is justified, and we deserve this since we didn’t meet expectations. Players who can’t face criticism won’t be able to succeed. We are disappointed with our performance in the T20 World Cup. There are multiple reasons behind our losses. When a team loses, one can’t say that bowling and batting is doing well,” he added.
The largest obstacle facing Babar Azam upon his return as captain, according to a report, was trying to bring the team together, but he was unable to do so due to the groupings.
Mohammad Rizwan was disappointed at not being given the chance to be captain, while Shaheen Afridi was disappointed at losing the captaincy and Babar’s lack of support for him when needed.
But, a number of trustworthy sources have also indicated that Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the PCB, will not decide on Babar Azam’s captaincy right away because Pakistan’s next white ball series is scheduled for November.