"Don't think the inner circle and top management are very happy with Rizwan" - Mudassar Nazar feels PCB will be forced to make keeper-batter captain
Former Pakistani batter Mudassar Nazar reckons Mohammad Rizwan is the only candidate left to take up captaincy as the management doesn't have many options remaining. However, Mudassar also opined that the players and the management aren't too happy with the keeper-batter.
With Babar Azam resigning as the white-ball captain for the second time in a year, the position has been left vacant again. Test skipper Shan Masood is as much on a tightrope after losing his first five Tests since succeeding Babar in the red-ball format.
Nazar told CricketPakistan that the team management might have to turn to Rizwan now for captaincy even though they might not want to. The 68-year-old warned that making a younger player skipper will create a Babar Azam-like situation again.
"Right now, they don't have any choice left. They've tried everyone except Rizwan. They'll have to make Rizwan the captain. I don't think the inner circle and top management are very happy with Rizwan, but they’ll be forced to choose him. Otherwise, if they go for a younger player, it will turn into the same situation like with Babar Azam. It's better to make a senior player the captain and then groom someone under him. In my opinion, it would be better for Pakistan to make Rizwan the captain for all three formats," he explained.
Rizwan's captaincy during the Champions One-day Cup earned him plenty of praise. Under the 32-year-old, Multan Sultans had won the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in 2021.
"The recent poor performances of the Pakistan team have a lot to do with the rapid changes in captaincy" - Mudassar Nazar
Mudassar also observed that rapid changes in captaincy have led to groups forming in the dressing room, affecting on-field performances. He added:
"The recent poor performances of the Pakistan team have a lot to do with the rapid changes in captaincy. Young players were made captains and then removed, which leads to groupings in the team. This isn’t just Pakistan’s problem."
Pakistan are currently gearing up for the three-Test series against England, beginning on Monday, October 7, in Multan.