'If I consider myself king...': Mohammad Rizwan takes dig at Babar Azam after becoming captain

The newly-appointed white-ball captain of the Pakistan National Cricket Team, Mohammad Rizwan, took a sly dig at the former skipper Babar Azam after taking over the high-profile role.

Speaking to reporters, Mohammad Rizwan said that if he started to consider himself the king of the Pakistan team, everything would fall apart. Notably, king is the nickname given to Babar Azam by many fans and experts.

Mohammad Rizwan replaces Babar Azam as white-ball captain

The wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan was officially named as the new skipper of the white-ball team at a press conference on Sunday, October 27. Since Babar Azam stepped down, Rizwan was the frontrunner for the leadership and Salman Ali Agha was named as his deputy.

Notably, Babar Azam announced his resignation on October 2 via X. Announcing his decision to step down from captaincy, Babar stated that he was honored to lead the national team, but added that he decided to quit captaincy to focus on his personal growth and improve his batting performance.

Notably, this was the second time in 12 months that Babar Azam quit captaincy, as after the World Cup 2023, he was sacked as the white-ball captain, and he himself relinquished the red-ball captaincy. Later, Babar Azam was reappointed as T20I captain as PCB sacked Shaheen Afridi.

If I start considering myself a king as captain, then everything will fall apart - Mohammad Rizwan

Addressing the media after becoming captain, Mohammad Rizwan said that he would look to serve his teammates and not act like a king. Rizwan also guaranteed the Pakistani fans that they would show great fighting spirit on the field and make the nation proud.

"If I start considering myself a king as captain, then everything will fall apart. Rather, as a leader, I am here to serve the 15 men of the team. This is how it should be. Regarding achievements, Inshallah, we have the messages and support from everyone in our box, who are asking us only one thing: fight, fight, and fight. They keep sending us this message again and again, and we will try our best, Inshallah, to show the whole nation that there is no lack of fight in us."

"We have left the results to Allah, and whatever the outcome, we accept it. But in terms of fighting spirit, there will be no shortage—this is our guarantee," said Rizwan.

We will continue to stand by Rizwan as he takes on this important role - Mohsin Naqvi

Speaking about Mohammad Rizwan taking over the captaincy, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi said that they would continue to back the wicketkeeper-batsman and were optimistic about the success of the team under his leadership. He said:

“The PCB has always been fully committed to supporting our players and staff, and we will continue to stand by Rizwan as he takes on this important role. We are optimistic that under his leadership, Pakistan’s white-ball cricket team will once again become a force to be reckoned with on the international stage.”