Legendary fast bowler Wasim Akram has expressed that the upcoming ODI series against Australia poses a substantial challenge for the Pakistan cricket team under newly-appointed white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan.
The wicket-keeper batter replaced Babar Azam as Pakistan’s white-ball captain after the latter stepped down from the role earlier this month, in a bid to focus more on his role as a player.
Mohammad Rizwan will begin his tenure as captain with the three-match ODI series aginst Australia, starting on November 4.
Rizwan, who debuted in white-ball cricket in 2015, has played 74 ODIs and 102 T20Is to date, scoring 5,401 runs with four centuries and accounting for 143 dismissals behind the stumps.
As he leads the team in the opening ODI against Australia in Melbourne on 4 November, Rizwan will become Pakistan’s 31st captain. For the first T20I in Brisbane on 14 November, he will be the 12th to captain Pakistan in the format.
Wasim Akram, during an online press conference from Melbourne, highlighted Rizwan’s potential as captain citing his leadership experience.
Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel
“Rizwan is an experienced campaigner. He’s been captaining all his life, leading Multan Sultans in the PSL to one trophy and two finals,” said Akram. “When it comes to leadership, he’s a seasoned campaigner.”
Nonetheless, the former captain emphasized the challenge of playing against Australia in their home conditions, particularly in ODI cricket.
“It’s his first tour [as captain] and a difficult one. It’s challenging to beat Australia in Australia, especially in ODI cricket,” he added.
“In T20I cricket [there is a chance] maybe, but Australia in ODI cricket is a tough team to beat.”
Wasim urged the Pakistan players to concentrate on playing high-quality cricket while pointing out that winning even a single ODI match in these conditions would be a notable accomplishment for the team.
“They should just focus on cricket and try to do well against Australia. Winning even one ODI out of three in Australia would be a big deal,” he remarked.
READ: Wasim Akram confident India will visit Pakistan for Champions Trophy