LAHORE: Rising national cricketer Kazi Khori on Monday clarified that Mohammad Rizwan remains Pakistan’s first-choice wicket-keeper batsman after the former captain’s loss from the ongoing one-day series against Australia till June 4.
Former skipper Rizwan, who led Pakistan to successive ODI series wins against Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa after starting his captaincy in late 2024, could not retain his place as a player after a poor performance against Bangladesh.
The 33-year-old was replaced by fellow wicketkeeper-batsman Rohail Nasir in the green shirts squad against Australia, while Corey retained his place after making his debut against Bangladesh in March.
Rizwan’s exclusion from the ODI series against Australia led to speculation that his long form career might be over, however, captain Shaheen Shah Afridi denied this last week.
Meanwhile, Ghori, who played a key role in Pakistan’s five-wicket win with an anchoring half-century in the series opener against Australia on Saturday, dismissed the idea of Batter as the Green Shirts’ first-choice wicketkeeper, instead arguing that the status belongs to Rizwan.
“It’s not like I’m going to replace Rizwan Bhai, he’s our veteran, he’s our first-choice wicketkeeper,” Ghori said during a media briefing ahead of the second ODI against Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium here.
“Retirement, I have been getting significant support from the coach and captain. When I played in Bangladesh, they told me to be ready whenever an opportunity might be given to me and I should take advantage of it. So, the captain and the coach supported me a lot,” he added.
During the pair’s 127-run partnership, they successfully chased down 201 runs in the first ODI against Australia.
“It gives a lot of confidence when a veteran player is already in the middle order and batting with someone like Babar Bhai who has done well over the years gives a different confidence and takes the pressure off the youngster,” shared Ghazi.
“Because as a senior player, he tackled the tough tasks himself and kept me at ease. So, when you bat with someone like Babar Bhai, things become easier,” he added.
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