“Decision regarding Pakistan’s white-ball captaincy to be made after Rizwan-Naqvi meeting”

Former wicketkeeper batter Rashid Latif claimed that the decision regarding appointing Pakistan’s white-ball captain will be made after a meeting between Mohammad Rizwan and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

Pakistan are set to embark on a white-ball tour to Australia for a three-match each ODI and T20I series, scheduled to run from November 4 until November 18.

The tour itself is a tough challenge for the Green Shirts, considering their previous record in Australia but the touring side faces another stiff challenge, a leadership void, which was created by Babar Azam after he officially stepped down as the team’s white-ball captain earlier this month.

Babar’s resignation came in the wake of the national team’s disastrous campaign at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 where they suffered their first-ever group-stage exit, mainly pertaining to their shock loss against the United States of America (USA) and gut-wrenching defeat at the hands of arch-rivals India.

Right when Babar’s second reign as Pakistan captain ended, the cricketing body began searching for a new leader and wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan emerged as the front-runner.

Several reports within the national media indicated Rizwan as the next white-ball captain of the national team but the PCB is yet to make an official announcement.

Meanwhile, Rashid Latif came up with an assertion that the announcement regarding the appointment of the new white-ball captain is facing a delay due to a meeting scheduled between PCB chair Mohsin Naqvi and potential candidate Mohammad Rizwan.

“The decision regarding the captaincy for ODIs and T20s will be made after a meeting between the PCB chairman and Mohammad Rizwan. The meeting was expected to take place, but the PCB chief was not in the country,” Latif posted on his social media handles.

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan’s squad for the white-ball tour to Australia will be announced in the coming days and the national team is scheduled to depart on October 29.

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