Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has backed Mohammad Rizwan to take over from Babar Azam and be the new captain of Men in Green. Babar’s time as the white-ball captain might be coming to its end. Lately, reports started making rounds about Rizwan becoming the top choice to replace Babar. The reports have brought mixed reactions among fans and ex-Pakistani cricketers alike. Witnessing him lead Markhors against Stallions in the Champions One-Day Cup left Basit supporting Rizwan for Pakistan team captaincy.
He noted Rizwan’s ability to analyse pitch conditions which even Babar and Test captain Shan Masood do not have.
“He (Rizwan) led so well that he has proved there is nobody better than him at doing this job. It means a lot that he can read a pitch. And even Babar cannot do that. I am not even mentioning Shan here; if you don’t make him team’s leader now, it would cost Pakistan. This is exactly when we should have Rizwan as our skipper,” Basit stated on his you-tube channel.
The Stallions were firmly in control after they had scored a moderate total of 231 and it was then that Rizwan entrusted Shahnawaz Dahani with bowling over eight.
It was the last time he would toss it to Dahani as Rizwan changed his tactics unexpectedly. He mixed and matched his fast and slow deliveries, hoping for a breakthrough.
Shan Masood was bowled out by Naseem Shah who brought Markhors back into the game. After that single wicket, the Stallions crumbled like a house of cards and were all out in 105 runs off 23.4 overs.
The spin duo of Zahid Mahmood (5/18) and Salman Ali Agha (3/21) then took care of business with their devastating bowling to end any hopes of a comeback by bringing home an impressive 126-run victory
