Mohammad Rizwan announced as Pakistan's white-ball captain; Salman Ali Agha named vice-captain

In a big development in Pakistan cricket, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan will be Pakistan's new white-ball captain. Rizwan was the frontrunner for this role after Babar Azam had decided to step down a few days ago.

While Rizwan has been named captain, allrounder Salman Ali Agha has been named the vice-captain of the team for ODIs and T20Is. Salman has been rewarded for consistent performances across formats with both bat and ball.

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Mohammad Rizwan appointed Pakistan's new white-ball captain

The announcement of Mohammad Rizwan as Pakistan's new white-ball captain was made by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Naqvi claimed that the decision was unanimously taken by the PCB selectors.

"PCB selectors have unanimously agreed to appoint Mohammad Rizwan as captain and Salman Ali Agha as vice-captain in white-ball for Pakistan," Naqvi said at the press conference.

🚨 "PCB Selectors have unanimously agreed to appoint Rizwan as captain and Salman Ali Agha as vice-captain in whiteball for Pakistan." - Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi! #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/8U2rD085w5

— Arfa Feroz Zake (@ArfaSays_) October 27, 2024

When Mohsin Naqvi announced this decision, Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha were present there along with the selector Aaqib Javed.

Mohammad Rizwan has been a consistent performer for Pakistan ever since his international debut. He has been a key part of Pakistan's teams in both the ODI and T20I cricket and has played various match-winning knocks for the team.

The 32-year-old is a regular part of both the white-ball teams which makes his selection even more reasonable. Rizwan has played 74 ODIs in his career and scored 2088 runs at an average of 40.15 and a strike rate of 89.80.

He has an even better record in T20Is where he has scored 3313 runs in 102 matches at an excellent average of 48.72 and a strike rate of 126.45. He opens the batting in T20Is as opposed to his middle order spot in ODI cricket.

Mohammad Rizwan's first assignment as captain

Rizwan's stint will begin with Pakistan's white-ball tour of Australia where the Men in Green will play three ODIs and three T20Is against the home team. The wicketkeeper has a good amount of experience of captaincy on previous occasions.

Under his captaincy, Multan Sultans won the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 season and finished runners up thrice - in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

One of Rizwan's foremost priorities will be to build a solid team for the Champions Trophy, which will be hosted by Pakistan during February-March next year.

Salman Ali Agha named vice-captain

While Rizwan has been appointed the captain, Salman Ali Agha will be Pakistan's new white-ball captain. It is a huge achievement for Salman who has given some consistent performances across formats over the past few months.

Salman averages over 40 in both Tests and ODIs and was one of the few bright spots for Pakistan during their lean run in the last few months. However, Salman Ali Agha is yet to make his T20I debut.