[PICTURES/VIDEOS] Mohammad Rizwan - Pakistan's white-ball captaincy watch thread

I dunno man it says alot about the credibility of a poster when they claim to be honest and were quick to give us 10 over updates when we were losing the first ODI and now don't even update their own thread themselves when we win.
 
Mohammad Rizwan speaking during the post-match interview:

“A win is a win, and it gives us confidence that we hope to carry into Perth as well. As a captain, I don't give much importance to the toss, but we won it and chose to bowl first, a decision that paid off as the team executed our plan to attack and succeeded.”

About Haris Rauf:

“He bowled very well as he has been doing for the last couple of years. Not only did I enjoy his bowling, but everyone did too, and we hope he can maintain this excitement moving forward.”
 
It’s great Pakistan got over the line and credit where due to some of the key performers, but I don’t understand why you’re going a bit OTT like you won the World Cup or something it’s showing minnow mentality, there are some major changes needed and there’s always room for improvement for Pak to play modern cricket consistently. The West Indies actually won a Test in Australia, I would have understood if the bacha party was going wild over something like that, but nah, one bilateral win and it’s time to celebrate as if your phew is getting married all over again lol
 
It’s great Pakistan got over the line and credit where due to some of the key performers, but I don’t understand why you’re going a bit OTT like you won the World Cup or something it’s showing minnow mentality, there are some major changes needed and there’s always room for improvement for Pak to play modern cricket consistently. The West Indies actually won a Test in Australia, I would have understood if the bacha party was going wild over something like that, but nah, one bilateral win and it’s time to celebrate as if your phew is getting married all over again lol
This thread had 130 posts on it after 1 match as captain, pro-rizwan posters on here are intelligent and actually understand cricket. They know this is a great victory but it isn't a world cup win, the thread is getting bumped as a response to those 130 posts which were over a loss.
 
Rizwan is clearly a very polarizing figure in Pakistan cricket. Though I'm a firm believer that his supporters would range around 80% of overall fanbase and haters making up 20% of this fanbase. But given the haters are extremely loud and noisy there tends to be a perception that Rizwan has more haters than supporters (false opinion in my view).

We need to understand haters point of view to understand polarisation. People on this forum hate Rizwan for various reasons. I will try name some of the reasons for the hate he gets.

1. Replacement of Sarfraz hence gets hate from Sarfraz fanbase
This is just pure hatred for the person that replaced that most loved cricketer. Sarfraz fans believe he was unjustly ousted and hence the person who replaced him will get all the hate now. These fans don't look objectively into the cricketing reason why Sarfraz was replaced (fitness and conduct included). Neither do these fans take the hate up with management, selectors and thinktank of that time that replaced Sarfraz, surely it was their call rather than Rizwan's. These fans also don't consider that Rizwan has never been involved in lobbying to remove Sarfraz so I really don't get the hate in here. Perhaps this is what happens with diehard fans. Given these fans hatred has nothing to do with cricket the normal folks on this forum should simply ignore their posts on cricketing matters associated with Rizwan and let them rant and vent their frustration as normal.

2. Rizwan being part of a lobby or unjust favours by PCB management
Many fans on here believe that Rizwan is nepotistic / favouritism selection of some beloved folks in management particularly Misbah. Many folks on here hate on Misbah and given Misbah was the reason Rizwan got the chance to open in T20s they believe its a nepotistic selection. Before I answer to that its important to understand that when Rizwan started his career in mid 2010s he was an extremely limited stroke player and struggle on crease jumping and hopping around ala Fawad Alam. Hence the expectations from early Rizwan were never great and he was discarded very early from team after which he made leaps of runs in domestic circuit and earned a place back in limited overs side. He literally earned the spot back after piling on runs across multiple domestic seasons.
Anyways, given early Rizwan's limited strokeplay many believe he should never play for Pakistan in T20s let alone open given his ability to hit sixes as per their opinion was limited. Now Misbah took a gamble and promoted Rizwan against NZ to open and Rizwan took that opportunity with both hands. Had Rizwan been as bad as haters call him out here then he would never have piled on so many runs as an opener in T20. People also forget that Misbah was just not kind on Rizwan he was also kind on likes of Ahmed Shahzad and Umar Akmal. He gave them both opportunities against a weaker opposition (Sri Lanka) at home to capitalise yet they both failed. Rizwan on other hand grabbed the chance and never looked back, how is it his fault then?

3. Rizwan is the reason we lose games in T20s
Many haters on here make the argument that Rizwan's approach is the sole reason we lost T20s of late. When we were winning those were due to other factors like Shaheen, Shadab, Asif Ali, etc but when we lose its because of Rizwan. Haters on here point onto the likes of QdK or Butler as to how Rizwan should be playing at the top. These haters do not take into account the fact that QdK have likes of Klaasen and Miller to follow up lower down the order whilst Butler has Brook, Stokes and Livingstone waiting in wings. Therefore their expansive approach to game at top can be justified with firepower at the back. Also people forget that QdK and Butler are far superior players to Rizwan in terms of strokeplay so simply pointing out to gold standard and saying why our opener is not of that quality is simply unjust. Rizwan and Babar had to ensure they played bulk of the first 15 overs given the middle order made up of Haider Ali, Asif Ali, Khushdil, Iftikhar, Shan, etc were either simply unreliable and not consistent and second this middle order didn't had the strokeplay of their peers across the world. Given such responsibility Rizwan and Babar had to take a more conservative approach and play within their limitation. They have mustered together the best they can in their given capacity.
Perhaps the haters on here believe Haider is next coming of Kohli at 3 or Haris is Pant equivalent or Iftikhar is the real killer rather than Miller. Hence Babar + Rizwan not giving enough gametime to such individuals resulted us losing many T20s of late. Haters buy that argument, I don't.

There are other reasons too that Rizwan gets onto the nerve on many posters in here but the above are the more obvious ones. Bottomline has taken over the reigns in Pakistan cricket now and the least as a fanbase we can do is get behind the guy and support him.
 
Becomes 1st full time Pakistani captain to beat Australia in Australia in last 2 decades in his just 2nd match. His captaincy is like his t20 career, everyone expecting him to fail, but he surprises everyone with his hard work. Perfect start to his captaincy, hopefully should win the series.
 
Rizwan is proactive and he is so much better than Zimbabar as captain. Hopefully he keeps this good work and win Pakistan the series and many more series to come.

He is the best option Available in the Pakistan for captaincy.He should be handed the test captaincy as well but he should stop playing t20is which is not his strongest format.
 
Rizwan is proactive and he is so much better than Zimbabar as captain. Hopefully he keeps this good work and win Pakistan the series and many more series to come.

He is the best option Available in the Pakistan for captaincy.He should be handed the test captaincy as well but he should stop playing t20is which is not his strongest format.
Only the matter of time, he will get it.
 
This thread had 130 posts on it after 1 match as captain, pro-rizwan posters on here are intelligent and actually understand cricket. They know this is a great victory but it isn't a world cup win, the thread is getting bumped as a response to those 130 posts which were over a loss.

I think if the intelligible posters paid attention, then they’d have understood why his hiring incited a fierce debate. But what more is there to discuss, one victory and all the critics have been silenced I suppose and proven wrong.
 
I think if the intelligible posters paid attention, then they’d have understood why his hiring incited a fierce debate. But what more is there to discuss, one victory and all the critics have been silenced I suppose and proven wrong.
The same anti-rizwan brigade had no debate when retired tv pundits Amir and Imad were brought back by Pakistan or when Scam Masood was made test captain. Rizwan being white ball captain was only a matter of time, he's the most deserving and most credible captaincy suggestion.
 
The same anti-rizwan brigade had no debate when retired tv pundits Amir and Imad were brought back by Pakistan or when Scam Masood was made test captain. Rizwan being white ball captain was only a matter of time, he's the most deserving and most credible captaincy suggestion.

Yes, he’s the most invincible, deserving, credible, spiritual and worthy,
 
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Yes, he’s the most invincible, deserving, credible, spiritual and worthy
Weird, was referring to his performance domestically and internationally. But ok... if that's what you're into
 
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This was easily 350 run pitch and he utilised his bowlers well. Last match could ve been diff if he did same, he was trying way too much in the end and it didnt work
 
Series set up nicely. Much needed Aus we're taking us for granted hopefully we will win the decider
 
Rizwan is clearly a very polarizing figure in Pakistan cricket. Though I'm a firm believer that his supporters would range around 80% of overall fanbase and haters making up 20% of this fanbase. But given the haters are extremely loud and noisy there tends to be a perception that Rizwan has more haters than supporters (false opinion in my view).

We need to understand haters point of view to understand polarisation. People on this forum hate Rizwan for various reasons. I will try name some of the reasons for the hate he gets.

1. Replacement of Sarfraz hence gets hate from Sarfraz fanbase
This is just pure hatred for the person that replaced that most loved cricketer. Sarfraz fans believe he was unjustly ousted and hence the person who replaced him will get all the hate now. These fans don't look objectively into the cricketing reason why Sarfraz was replaced (fitness and conduct included). Neither do these fans take the hate up with management, selectors and thinktank of that time that replaced Sarfraz, surely it was their call rather than Rizwan's. These fans also don't consider that Rizwan has never been involved in lobbying to remove Sarfraz so I really don't get the hate in here. Perhaps this is what happens with diehard fans. Given these fans hatred has nothing to do with cricket the normal folks on this forum should simply ignore their posts on cricketing matters associated with Rizwan and let them rant and vent their frustration as normal.

2. Rizwan being part of a lobby or unjust favours by PCB management
Many fans on here believe that Rizwan is nepotistic / favouritism selection of some beloved folks in management particularly Misbah. Many folks on here hate on Misbah and given Misbah was the reason Rizwan got the chance to open in T20s they believe its a nepotistic selection. Before I answer to that its important to understand that when Rizwan started his career in mid 2010s he was an extremely limited stroke player and struggle on crease jumping and hopping around ala Fawad Alam. Hence the expectations from early Rizwan were never great and he was discarded very early from team after which he made leaps of runs in domestic circuit and earned a place back in limited overs side. He literally earned the spot back after piling on runs across multiple domestic seasons.
Anyways, given early Rizwan's limited strokeplay many believe he should never play for Pakistan in T20s let alone open given his ability to hit sixes as per their opinion was limited. Now Misbah took a gamble and promoted Rizwan against NZ to open and Rizwan took that opportunity with both hands. Had Rizwan been as bad as haters call him out here then he would never have piled on so many runs as an opener in T20. People also forget that Misbah was just not kind on Rizwan he was also kind on likes of Ahmed Shahzad and Umar Akmal. He gave them both opportunities against a weaker opposition (Sri Lanka) at home to capitalise yet they both failed. Rizwan on other hand grabbed the chance and never looked back, how is it his fault then?

3. Rizwan is the reason we lose games in T20s
Many haters on here make the argument that Rizwan's approach is the sole reason we lost T20s of late. When we were winning those were due to other factors like Shaheen, Shadab, Asif Ali, etc but when we lose its because of Rizwan. Haters on here point onto the likes of QdK or Butler as to how Rizwan should be playing at the top. These haters do not take into account the fact that QdK have likes of Klaasen and Miller to follow up lower down the order whilst Butler has Brook, Stokes and Livingstone waiting in wings. Therefore their expansive approach to game at top can be justified with firepower at the back. Also people forget that QdK and Butler are far superior players to Rizwan in terms of strokeplay so simply pointing out to gold standard and saying why our opener is not of that quality is simply unjust. Rizwan and Babar had to ensure they played bulk of the first 15 overs given the middle order made up of Haider Ali, Asif Ali, Khushdil, Iftikhar, Shan, etc were either simply unreliable and not consistent and second this middle order didn't had the strokeplay of their peers across the world. Given such responsibility Rizwan and Babar had to take a more conservative approach and play within their limitation. They have mustered together the best they can in their given capacity.
Perhaps the haters on here believe Haider is next coming of Kohli at 3 or Haris is Pant equivalent or Iftikhar is the real killer rather than Miller. Hence Babar + Rizwan not giving enough gametime to such individuals resulted us losing many T20s of late. Haters buy that argument, I don't.

There are other reasons too that Rizwan gets onto the nerve on many posters in here but the above are the more obvious ones. Bottomline has taken over the reigns in Pakistan cricket now and the least as a fanbase we can do is get behind the guy and support him.
Excellent Post.
 
Rizwan is clearly a very polarizing figure in Pakistan cricket. Though I'm a firm believer that his supporters would range around 80% of overall fanbase and haters making up 20% of this fanbase. But given the haters are extremely loud and noisy there tends to be a perception that Rizwan has more haters than supporters (false opinion in my view).

We need to understand haters point of view to understand polarisation. People on this forum hate Rizwan for various reasons. I will try name some of the reasons for the hate he gets.

1. Replacement of Sarfraz hence gets hate from Sarfraz fanbase
This is just pure hatred for the person that replaced that most loved cricketer. Sarfraz fans believe he was unjustly ousted and hence the person who replaced him will get all the hate now. These fans don't look objectively into the cricketing reason why Sarfraz was replaced (fitness and conduct included). Neither do these fans take the hate up with management, selectors and thinktank of that time that replaced Sarfraz, surely it was their call rather than Rizwan's. These fans also don't consider that Rizwan has never been involved in lobbying to remove Sarfraz so I really don't get the hate in here. Perhaps this is what happens with diehard fans. Given these fans hatred has nothing to do with cricket the normal folks on this forum should simply ignore their posts on cricketing matters associated with Rizwan and let them rant and vent their frustration as normal.
Good post overall but on this point in particular.

Most people respected Sarfraz but knew it was time to move on.

This pro-sarfraz movement started many many years after his removal. He just became their paper candidate to hide behind to bash Rizwan 24/7. Those of us on the forum here remember that the tide had turned on Sarfraz. Now we are subject to revisonist history and claims of wrong doing and injustice in the past.
 
Fantastic win, right up there with the last time we beat Australia on their home turf. I still remember how Junaid, Amir, and Imad led us to victory under Hafeez's captaincy.
 
Yes I remember the hatred Sarfraz was getting on this forum and time was right to move on from him, as he was getting shody behind the stumps and hiding behind tail enders in batting, his batting form had dipped too.
 
It’s great Pakistan got over the line and credit where due to some of the key performers, but I don’t understand why you’re going a bit OTT like you won the World Cup or something it’s showing minnow mentality, there are some major changes needed and there’s always room for improvement for Pak to play modern cricket consistently. The West Indies actually won a Test in Australia, I would have understood if the bacha party was going wild over something like that, but nah, one bilateral win and it’s time to celebrate as if your phew is getting married all over again lol
They didnt just get over the line- they ran over it. And why shouldnt we celebrate a great victory, is it banned? You guys spend all day denigrating our players. Well these are our players, good or bad and we will support them and be critical when its needed.
 
Rizwan is one of the best WK batsman in the world. As simple as that.Only idiots will disagree.

Also, early days but his captaincy in these two ODIs has been top notch. A bit more application with the bat and Pakistan would have sealed the series 2-0.
 
Kudos to Rizwan for.reviving the fast bowling culture. 4 incisive pacers bowling in tandem, pure delight may the good work continue.

The notion was Rizwan will be an attacking captain , but from what little we've seen he is ultra-attacking skipper
 
Good captaincy from Riz. However, the pace bowling was solid. Rauf looks a different in Australia & Shaheen started well & also bowled well but Naseem & Hasnain were inconsistent.

However the way Saim & Shafique looked with the bathroom was impressive, specially with the news of Fakhar & Imam potentially returning for the South Africa series.

But it was a very good win, a MUST win in Australia.

Now go & win the series.
 
ځواکمن کپتاني او د سټمپ شاته تلاوت سره

energetic captaincy along with recitation from behind the stumps

keep it up Rizwan
 
How many times in the past have you seen such an attacking field from any captain???

rizwan definitely has something up his sleeves as captain. Good stuff.

qUgFrAa.png
 
Wasim Akram speaking during commentary:

"I like the attitude of captain Mohammad Rizwan. Good captaincy by him, he gave an extra over from the other end to Naseem Shah and he has taken another wicket."
 
This proves captaincy makes difference. People who were saying team is garbage with or without Babar as captain getting proven wrong .
 
Mohammad Rizwan is proving to be an exceptional captain. His mind operates like a machine during games, making sharp adjustments to field placements based on batters' weaknesses and his bowlers' strengths. He used to be quite comical with DRS decisions, but impressively, that aspect of his game has improved dramatically. His approach to leadership is extraordinary and captivating to watch.
 
Mohammad Rizwan is proving to be an exceptional captain. His mind operates like a machine during games, making sharp adjustments to field placements based on batters' weaknesses and his bowlers' strengths. He used to be quite comical with DRS decisions, but impressively, that aspect of his game has improved dramatically. His approach to leadership is extraordinary and captivating to watch.

Sarfaraz Ahmed was same.

I feel a wicket keeper can see the game iba different way altogether.
 
Sarfaraz Ahmed was same.

I feel a wicket keeper can see the game iba different way altogether.
Sarfaraz was a good captain and I have mentioned this several times in my comments on this forum. However, his habit of instructing bowlers after every ball became frustrating. It did not allow them to think for themselves or develop as bowlers. Additionally, his body language was often negative and he would visibly get upset if bowlers did not execute his plans perfectly. In the end, not only did he lose his form, but his leadership also suffered and the dressing room dynamics were impacted by some of his habits as captain. And yes, wicketkeepers do see the game differently!
 
It's hard to take rizwan seriously with his sometime silly attitude but he does seem to have high IQ and seem to have a strategy. It does seem like he changes things up very quickly and frequently. Part of the delay in innings was due to employing his tactics. But I have to say I was enjoying it. Field placements seemed impeccable and outside of the box for Pakistan standards. Looking forward to seeing how his captaincy evolves in different situations including it's impact on his batting.
 
It's too early to speak about Rizwan's captaincy but one thing is very clear that Babar was never a captaincy material, that's a fact. PCB and social media hyped him too much as a captain and I can see some of his social media fans still wants him back as captain which is bizarre. They are not as vocal as they were before.

Rizwan no doubt has started his captaincy stint very well.
 
It’s incredibly satisfying to see Rizwan and Pakistan performing so well as a team. Rizwan, in particular, was unjustly targeted by many online critics. It was shocking to see how his impressive performances were continuously undermined, with threads flooded and spammed with hate-filled posts. As a Pakistani supporter, it was tough to see that negativity and feel powerless to do anything but continue supporting him. Now, Rizwan’s performances and leadership are doing all the talking, and that speaks louder than anything else!
 
The field placements have been solid, especially when he noticed some swing in the first innings and set up with four slips

a huge improvement over Babar. It’s hard to overlook all those games Babar lost over the last four years that could have been won with better field adjustments.

However, it’s still a bit early to give full credit for this series win. While winning a series in Australia is huge, this one feels like it’s been practically handed to Rizwan, with Australia focusing on preparing for their tests against India and the CT25.
 
Brilliant captaincy

Winning a series in Australia amazing feat on his debut

Great start keep going on 💪
 
How can anyone dislike Rizwan? He’s not just a great player but an incredible human being. In today’s post-match presentation, he refused to take any credit and instead praised his entire team. He even mentioned that he takes suggestions from all his teammates, saying they are all captains. What a selfless leader! This is exactly what Pakistan needed in a captain, someone who leads with humility and puts the team first.
 
How can anyone dislike Rizwan? He’s not just a great player but an incredible human being. In today’s post-match presentation, he refused to take any credit and instead praised his entire team. He even mentioned that he takes suggestions from all his teammates, saying they are all captains. What a selfless leader! This is exactly what Pakistan needed in a captain, someone who leads with humility and puts the team first.
Some don't like his fun personality. Others don't like him being religious and some others don't like him being with Babar
 
Not only paks greatest w/k batsman, but now ranked alongside Imran Miandad Wasim as captain.
 
Great captaincy, was also appreciated by the commentators for the same.

Any other captain would have tried to put his fifth bowling option on, but Rizwan went for the kill and almost pulled off a 3-0 whitewash.
 
Some don't like his fun personality. Others don't like him being religious and some others don't like him being with Babar
None of us are perfect brother! I don’t always like how he avoids looking at women during interviews, some of his match delaying tactics, or how he reacts quickly when taking the DRS, though he’s improved dramatically in this series. What stands out most though is his relentless work ethic and his genuine care for the Pakistan cricket team. He always puts his teammates first. He supports the youngsters even though he doesn’t get enough credit for it. Time and time again in the PSL and even in T20Is, he’s stepped aside to let others play as wicketkeeper while he just fields. I could go on and on. He’s truly one of a kind. InshaAllah, he will continue to lead our team forward and bring many more victories like today’s against Australia.
 
How can anyone dislike Rizwan? He’s not just a great player but an incredible human being. In today’s post-match presentation, he refused to take any credit and instead praised his entire team. He even mentioned that he takes suggestions from all his teammates, saying they are all captains. What a selfless leader! This is exactly what Pakistan needed in a captain, someone who leads with humility and puts the team first.
He replaced Sarfraz.

Dislike is nothing to do with his performances, his demeanor etc
 
Another important aspect of his captaincy, especially during the ODI series against Australia, is how he never allowed his bowlers to ease up against the tailenders. Time and again, we see different captains overlook how tailenders can sometimes add crucial runs that might cost the game. Rizwan was always active during those moments, never letting his bowlers take it easy. He constantly guided them on what deliveries to bowl to the tailenders, and even experienced bowlers like Shaheen put aside any ego and executed the plans Rizwan set out for them.
 
But but but rizwan was slow over rate so based on that we should drop him as captain irrespective of this series win.

How to explain someone that when you are using 4 pacers striaght up without changes, over rate becomes slow
 
I want to be fair to Rizwan. Let’s take him at his own words. “I am only captain for toss and presentations”!
 
But but but rizwan was slow over rate so based on that we should drop him as captain irrespective of this series win.

How to explain someone that when you are using 4 pacers striaght up without changes, over rate becomes slow
When did I say that? I just said he has a slow overrate?
 
Excellent answer by Rizwan, a feat many of the cricketing greats failed to achieve.

Series win in Australia that too in convincing fashion, the captaincy was top notch.

4 quicks and 4 slips , wisden will definitely write an article over this.

Scyld Berry might call Rizwan for interview.

Nevertheless, Rizwan joins elite company by winning series in Australia :nasser
 
None of us are perfect brother! I don’t always like how he avoids looking at women during interviews, some of his match delaying tactics, or how he reacts quickly when taking the DRS, though he’s improved dramatically in this series. What stands out most though is his relentless work ethic and his genuine care for the Pakistan cricket team. He always puts his teammates first. He supports the youngsters even though he doesn’t get enough credit for it. Time and time again in the PSL and even in T20Is, he’s stepped aside to let others play as wicketkeeper while he just fields. I could go on and on. He’s truly one of a kind. InshaAllah, he will continue to lead our team forward and bring many more victories like today’s against Australia.
I have no issue with his theatrics adds fun to some boring patches in the match, and I praise him keeping his gaze lowered as our religions requires from us Muslims, and above all I admire how well he has balanced his religion with his commitment to his paid job.
 
Shaheen Shah Afridi in the post-match press conference after winning the famous ODI series against Australia:

"I think Rizwan is an aggressive player too, and the way he has been handling his captaincy in the last three games, he’s done a fantastic job. He supports every player and gives 100 percent authority to the bowlers to go for the attack. We also knew that whenever teams come to Australia, they bowl bouncers, so this time we applied the same strategy on them."
 
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