ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Shahid Afridi gives shocking verdict on Mohammad Rizwan as Pakistan captain

Former Pakistan allrounder Shahid Afridi has backed Mohammad Rizwan to do well in the upcoming Champions Trophy. Afridi showed his faith in Pakistan's captain and claimed that he would do well as a leader by making the team fight.

Mohammad Rizwan was appointed Pakistan's captain just last year before Pakistan's white-ball tour to Australia. He started well by winning his first two ODI series in Australia and South Africa respectively.

Rizwan's performance has been outstanding across formats and he is one of the most consistent batters for his team. The wicketkeeper-batter is the rock of this batting line-up and Pakistan will rely on him to give his best.

Also read: Aakash Chopra openly exposes Pakistan's strengths and weaknesses before Champions Trophy 2025

Shahid Afridi backs Mohammad Rizwan

While speaking to Star Sports ahead of the big clash between India and Pakistan, Shahid Afridi was asked about Mohammad Rizwan's captaincy since he is not too experienced in the role at this level.

Afridi believes that Mohammad Rizwan should set an example for the other players by performing well with the bat. He feels that Rizwan will only gain respect in the dressing room if he performs well himself.

"I think as a captain, he should set an example for the others which is very important. He has to perform in every game. Like Inzy bhai (Inzamam-ul-Haq) said that the body language and the attitude matters a lot," Afridi noted.

"A captain might receive a lot of praise but he is also criticized similarly. So, he must perform first himself to be in a position to say anything to the rest of the players. It makes his own performance very important," he added.

Shahid Afridi 🗣️ Rizwan's Captaincy#MuhammadRizwan pic.twitter.com/AQWiZgUh59

— Shahryar ( Sherry ) 2.0 (@shahryar016) February 15, 2025

"He is a fighter" - Shahid Afridi on Mohammad Rizwan

Further speaking in the same video, Shahid Afridi called Rizwan a great leader as he can unite the team. The former Pakistan skipper hailed Rizwan's fighting qualities and claimed that he can perform in big games.

"He (Mohammad Rizwan) is one player to keeps the team together and behaves equally with every member. He is a fighter, has a positive body language, gives a lot on the field," Afridi observed.

"So, I believe that he is a kind of a player who shows character in the big games. I have full confidence in him that he will make the team fight," the former Pakistan captain added.

Pakistan's recent form in ODIs

Pakistan haven't been in great form recently as they lost to New Zealand in the tri-series final. Pakistan won just one out of three games in the whole series as they lost to New Zealand in both the group stage and the final.

They will face the same team again in the Champions Trophy opener on February 19 in Karachi. Mohammad Rizwan had a good series with the bat as he scored 171 runs in three matches at an average of 85.50. However, the strike rate of 79.53 is on the lower side.

After facing New Zealand in the tournament opener, Pakistan will face India on February 23 in Dubai. It will be the first time that Rizwan will be leading Pakistan in a game against India.