Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to grant newly-appointed white-ball skipper Mohammad Rizwan a “decent run” to prove his leadership credentials. Rizwan took over the captaincy after Babar Azam stepped down following Pakistan’s disappointing T20 World Cup campaign.
Ponting expressed concern over Pakistan’s frequent leadership changes, stating that it creates instability. He believes that Rizwan’s performance during the ongoing tour of Australia will provide valuable insights into his leadership abilities.
“He’s the sort of player that I love watching. Aggressive player that takes the game on, and wears his heart on his sleeve a little bit,” Ponting said of Rizwan. “I reckon you can see he gets quite emotional out on the field, out on the ground as well, which I think is a good thing. It tends to show that you really care about what you’re doing and what your team’s trying to achieve.”
Ponting emphasized the importance of giving Rizwan a fair chance to demonstrate his leadership skills. “The proof will be in the pudding. I mean, we won’t know (until they) give him a decent run at it,” he said. “So I think in a few months time, or maybe in a few weeks time, even here in Australia with the one-dayers, the T20Is coming up, we might have a better idea in three or four weeks time.”
Pakistan’s second ODI against Australia will be played in Adelaide on Friday, followed by the series finale in Perth on Sunday. The two teams will then face off in a three-match T20I series starting on November 14 in Brisbane.
