Leg and off: Should Pakistan appoint Mohammad Rizwan as their Test captain?

The post-mortem of Pakistan's shocking home Test series loss to Bangladesh continues to present different layers for fans to soak in. Several former cricketers have suggested moves to be made for the side's rise from the ashes.

The most recent remarks came from former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali, who felt the side would defeat England in the upcoming home Test series if wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan was made Test captain.

In one of the videos on his YouTube channel, Ali said as quoted by Crictracker:

"Pakistan will win the Test series against England if Mohammad Rizwan is made the captain. You will see a different Babar Azam in the England series, but the condition is that the captain should be Rizwan."

Considering Pakistan have not tasted victory in their last 10 home Tests, dating back to early 2021, only a captaincy shift shouldn't be enough to defeat a formidable England Test side in a series.

Yet, Rizwan as the Test captain could easily be the move of the century or another one of Pakistan's trademark haphazard moves.

On that note, let us look at a few key factors that could dictate whether Pakistan should appoint Mohammad Rizwan as their Test captain.

#1 How has Mohammad Rizwan fared as a captain in the past?

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Before jumping to any conclusions on whether a change is warranted, Mohammad Rizwan's performance as a captain must be analyzed.

The 32-year-old has led Pakistan once in the two-match series in New Zealand in the 2020-21 season. While he performed incredibly in the series with three half-centuries in four innings, Pakistan faltered by suffering a 0-2 defeat. That remains Rizwan's lone captaincy experience at the international level.

However, the veteran gloveman has displayed leadership qualities and captaincy pedigree in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). In a volatile T20 format, Rizwan has captained the Multan Sultans to resounding success over the last four seasons.

After leading the franchise to its maiden PSL title in 2021, Rizwan has transformed the Sultans into MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK) of the league with their remarkable consistency. The side has qualified for the final over the next three seasons from 2022 to 2024 despite not being able to finish the job off on each occasion.

With such a massive body of work as the Sultans' captain over the last four years, Rizwan's captaincy potential certainly deserves a tick.

Verdict: Rizwan has proven to be an exceptional captain for a lengthy period

#2 Is replacing Shan Masood as Test captain the right move?

Masood has only captained one away series thus far in Australia [Credit: Getty]

Before considering Mohammad Rizwan as their next Test captain, Pakistan must decide if a change from current skipper Shan Masood might be a short-sighted move.

The 34-year-old has captained Pakistan in only two Test series and five matches, with the first one being the challenging tour of Australia. Considering Pakistan were whitewashed in their five previous Test series down under, the 0-3 hammering cannot be such a big stain on Masood's resume.

Yet, losing a first-ever Test against Bangladesh, especially at home, followed by being whitewashed by them has caused panic among the Pakistan management and fans. However, considering the side's recent turmoil across formats and the merry-go-round with personnel changes, Masood probably deserves a longer rope before a judgment can be passed.

What could spell doom for him though is his dismal Test batting numbers. The southpaw averages a paltry 28.53 in 35 Tests with the number almost similar in his five Tests as captain.

If Pakistan wants to exclude Masood from their Test playing XI, Rizwan could be considered as a viable replacement. Yet, should Masood retain his place in the XI, it may be too far-fetched to remove him from the helm after only two series.

Verdict: 50-50

#3 Why Rizwan is the obvious choice if Pakistan decide on a captaincy change?

Rizwan and Babar are the only realistic options to captain the side if Masood is replaced [Credit: Getty]

What works in Mohammad Rizwan's favor should Pakistan decide to move past Shan Masood is the lack of other options in their current Test lineup. With the pacers' fitness frailties and no world-class spinner, one of the bowlers taking over the Test captaincy mantle is almost certainly ruled out.

As far as the batters are concerned, no one except Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from their top seven who played in the recent Bangladesh series boast even an experience of 20 Tests. Thus, handing the captaincy to anyone but these two veterans with Pakistan cricket in such dire straits could be disastrous.

When it comes to Babar, he relinquished captaincy across formats at the end of last year. Yet, the management reinstated him as skipper in the white-ball formats earlier this year and the move has already been criticized by most after Pakistan's horrific 2024 T20 World Cup campaign.

Thus, it is hard to see Pakistan go in Babar's direction again in the Test format, making Rizwan as the most likely option should Shan Masood's removal be confirmed.

Verdict: If Masood's removal from captaincy is certain, Rizwan remains the lone realistic option to take over

#4 Rizwan's excellent batting form - Good or Bad for his case as captain?

How will captaincy affect Rizwan's excellent batting form? [Credit: Getty]

Here comes the trickiest part of making Mohammad Rizwan the Test captain. While there is no proven data around it, a player's form with bat or ball could prosper further or take a dip if he takes over as captain.

We have certain players take their game to the next level when made captain while others struggle to manage both responsibilities and their batting or bowling form drops off. When it comes to Pakistan, it is night and day the batting form of Rizwan compared to the others in the lineup.

In the recent Bangladesh series, he averaged an incredible 98 with a century and a half-century in four innings. The next best was Agha Salman with an average of 40 and the rest languished in the 30s or even lower.

Making Rizwan the captain could help the side as his confidence with the bat could rub off on his decision-making as a leader. However, the other side of the coin represents a scary case for Pakistan should their lone in-form batter also lose his form with the burden of captaincy.

Verdict: 50-50

In conclusion, several factors go into Mohammad Rizwan becoming Pakistan's next Test captain. Whether a change from Shan Masood is even warranted this soon and how captaincy could impact Rizwan's purple patch with the bat are all worth pondering.

Yet, if Pakistan are hellbent on a change in captaincy, Rizwan's exploits as captain in the PSL and his being the best option among those in the current Test lineup make him the most obvious choice for the role.