Pakistan’s experienced pacer Mohammad Amir offered a piece of advice to newly-appointed white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan after the national team’s 13-run defeat in the second T20I of the ongoing three-match series against Australia.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, the left-arm pacer lauded Rizwan’s captaincy skills and style but asserted that the right-handed batter looked hesitant while batting in the first two T20Is against Australia.
“Even though Mohammad Rizwan is so brave and captaining like a warrior, in batting he does seem stuck,” said Amir.
“Because Mohammad Rizwan does not usually bat in such a hesitant manner as he has seemed to in the last two matches, like he is stuck and batting cautiously.
“He should play freely, he is the captain, he should play with a fresh mind and perform."
Notably, Rizwan had a forgetful outing with the bat in the second T20I against Australia as the right-handed batter only managed 16 runs from 26 deliveries and could hit only one boundary.
Speaking after the match, the skipper asserted that the pitch was not easy to bat on but reiterated dropped catches as the leading factor to the team’s defeat.
“We all know that the pitch wasn't easy to bat on, so the catches were crucial," he added.
It is pertinent to mention that Rizwan-led Pakistan will take on Australia in the third T20I in Hobart on Monday as they look to avoid the series whitewash.
PAK vs AUS T20I squads
Pakistan: Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Omair Yousuf, Irfan Khan, Agha Salman, Jahandad Khan, Haseebullah Khan, Mohammad Rizwan, Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan, Haris Rauf, Abbas Afridi, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem.
Australia: Tim David, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mathew Short, Cooper Connolly, Aaron Hardie, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Sean Abbott, Josh Inglis, Xavier Bartlett, Spencer Johnson, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa.
- Mohammad Amir
- Mohammad Rizwan
