Pakistan white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan stated that the national selection committee holds sole responsibility for recent roster exclusions. Speaking to reporters in Lahore, Rizwan directed inquiries regarding dropped players to the selectors, emphasizing his lack of authority over the final squad composition.
The Pakistan Cricket Board recently restructured its selection process, stripping the captain of voting rights for the Playing XI and overall squad. Rizwan addressed the media regarding the transition and the high expectations placed on the national team.
“Only the selection committee can explain why some players are not included in the team,” Rizwan said.
The structural shift within Pakistan’s national sports administration leaves the selection committee, led by figures including Aqib Javed, with absolute authority over personnel decisions. Both Rizwan and Babar Azam were previously omitted from the T20I setup as the board transitions to younger talent under T20I captain Salman Ali Agha.
Rizwan’s comments preceded Pakistan’s recent One Day International series against Bangladesh, which concluded on March 15 at the Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. Rizwan expressed optimism about the squad’s fixtures, noting that the inclusion of players with prior experience in Bangladesh would help the team adapt to local conditions.
During the three-match ODI series, Rizwan competed as a middle-order batter. He recorded 10 runs off 20 balls on March 11, 44 runs off 59 balls on March 13, and 4 runs off 4 balls in the series finale on March 15.