'Better Deputy To Shaheen'- Shadab Shares Special Message For PAK's New Vice-Captain Rizwan
Mohammad Rizwan hugging Shadab Khan [X.com]
Former Pakistan vice-captain and all-rounder Shadab Khan shared his thoughts after being replaced as Pakistan’s T20I vice-captain by keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the appointment of Rizwan as the new vice-captain, supporting Shaheen Shah Afridi, who is set to lead Pakistan for the first time in the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand.
Shadab, currently recovering from an ankle injury that ruled him out of the New Zealand tour, conveyed his best wishes to Rizwan through a message on Twitter.
"Congratulations Rizwan on being named the vice-captain of the T20I team. I know you will be a brilliant deputy to Shaheen Afridi," Shadab Khan wrote on his 'X' handle.
The spin-bowling all-rounder believes that Rizwan will be an excellent deputy to Shaheen. He also urged fans to support the team during the series against New Zealand.
"I urge all the fans to get behind them and support the team vs NZ," he added.
Rizwan upbeat for the challenge
Rizwan, who has played 85 T20Is for Pakistan, scoring 2797 runs with one century and 25 half-centuries to his name, is likely to open the innings in the series against New Zealand.
Reacting to his appointment, Rizwan expressed his gratitude to PCB for entrusting him with the vice-captaincy role. He looks forward to working closely with the captain, coaching staff, and teammates to contribute to the team's success.
"It is an honour to be named as the vice-captain of Pakistan Men’s T20I side. I am thankful to the PCB for entrusting me with this responsibility. I am looking forward to working closely with the captain, coaching staff, and my teammates to contribute to the team's success," Rizwan said.
After a challenging Test series against Australia, where Pakistan suffered a 0-3 defeat, the team is preparing for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand starting on January 12.
Rizwan, the top run-scorer for Pakistan in Australia, has prior captaincy experience in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), leading the Multan Sultans in 36 matches and winning 24 of them. With the ODI captaincy still vacant, Rizwan could potentially fill that position.
Pakistan Squad for New Zealand T20Is
Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc/wk), Aamir Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Azam Khan (wk), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Usama Mir and Zaman Khan
.jpg "Dhoni's stand on India Maldives Row")
 "Vaibhav Tripathi")
