Mohammad Rizwan spoke to the media in Peshawar, Pakistan.© X (Twitter)
The post-mortem of the Pakistan cricket team, following the disastrous T20 World Cup show, has been long and brutal to say the least. Pakistan were thought to be the dark horse, but failed to even get out of the group stage. Pakistan were stunned by tournament co-hosts and debutants USA in their tournament opener, before losing to arch-rivals in a nail-biting clash. Pakistan’s defeats saw them miss out on Super 8 qualification, with the result sparking an uproar from current and former cricketers.
Babar Azam and his men have been on the receiving end of some brutal criticism from fans and former cricketers, who have even demanded that the board should sack the entire team for the horrible show in the T20 World Cup.
However, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has accepted the criticism that Pakistan players are facing, adding that all of this is part of a huge learning curve.
“The criticism team is facing is justified and we deserve this since we didn’t perform in accordance with expectations. Players who can’t face criticism won’t be able to succeed. We are disappointed with our performance in T20 World Cup. There are multiple reasons behind our losses. When a team loses, one can’t say that bowling and batting is doing well,” Rizwan said during a press conference in Peshwawar.
Pakistsan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi had used the word “operation” during a press conference, hinting that the board is likely to take extreme steps against the players.
Sharing his views on the same, Rizwan admitted that the PCB chief has got every right to decide Pakistan’s cricket future.
“Operations are a normal thing. When a person is ill, operation is necessary. PCB Chairman is a hard-working person. The decision about who will remain in the team and who will not is the chairman’s right,” he added.
Rizwan also had a disappointing campaign in the T20 World Cup, amassing 110 runs at an average of 36.66 with an underwhelming strike rate of 90.90.
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