"Australia ko Australia mein haraenge" - Mohammad Rizwan sets first goal as Pakistan's new white-ball captain

Pakistan's new white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan sounded confident about meeting "the nation's expectations" and beating Australia away in the upcoming three-ODI and three-T20I series on Monday.

Pakistan last won an ODI in Australia against the home team in 2017 and a T20I far back in 2010. The two teams have played only a handful of times Down Under. However, in the last ODI series (2016-17), Australia won 4-1 and in the last T20I series (2019-20), the home side won 2-0 after rain washed out the first game.

Rizwan had the following to say about the upcoming series:

"There’s no doubt that we’ve faced difficulties in Australia because when you look at the past results, they show that we had some trouble there. But I believe the team going now will meet the nation’s expectations."

"In the last series we played in Australia, every match was almost ours to win, but we lost very closely. We have noticed a few things and will work on them when we go there, taking positives from it. Inshallah, Australia ko Australia mein haraenge (God willing, we'll defeat Australia in Australia)."

Rizwan took over the white-ball captaincy on Sunday, replacing star batter and his T20I opening partner Babar Azam who stepped down on October 2.

When was the last time Pakistan won a white-ball series in Australia?

To remember the last bilateral ODI series Pakistan won in Australia, you'll have to go back to 2002 when a Waqar Younis-led team came from behind to defeat Ricky Ponting's Kangaroos. But there's no such triumph in the T20I format.

However, the Men in Green will take confidence from their runners-up performance in Australia in the 2022 T20 World Cup, where Rizwan was one of their best players. Pakistan also beat Australia 2-1 in an ODI series at home in 2022.

The 2024 rubber will kick off on November 4 in Melbourne with the 50-over games.

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