“Men in Green not awed by Proteas home record”, says Mohammad Rizwan

LAHORE, Dec 09 :Pakistan white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan has said that the Men in Green are not awed by the home record or past performances of the Proteas and are eager to do well in the three-match T20I series.
Talking to the media men outside the Kingsmead cricket stadium, Durban, he said Pakistan cricketers will not rest on their past laurels against the Proteas, adding that the team will focus on the current challenge.
Rizwan acknowledged the fact that the conditions pose a challenge in an away series as the pitch-conditions and weather are totally alien from the home surfaces, adding that they must perform well as professional players in the South African conditions. ‘As professional players, we must acclimatize quickly and perform well,’ the skipper added.

On opportunities to the young players, the wicket-keeper batsman said the young talent has performed well in Australia and Zimbabwe and they have proven their mettle, adding that they have added to the bench strength of the Men’s team.
On team combination, he said Pakistan team had done well in in the recently concluded white-ball series in Australia and Zimbabwe, adding that the bunch of players had proved their talent and helped in good team combinations.
“The young players have gelled well with the senior cricketers and are learning from the experience of the senior team-mates,” he responded.
On the team selection, he said the team has been selected keeping in view the conditions in South Africa, adding, the selectors will definitely pick, somewhat, different bunch of players for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in India. He expressed the hope that PCB will be able to pick the best 18 from the bunch of players it has currently.

When asked about non-selection of Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan said that Fakhar Zaman is a game-changer and the whole country is aware of his capabilities as a batsman, adding that his absence from the squads for the South Africa tour does not involve any ill-will. He further said that Fakhar was not picked due to minor health issues and had been asked to perform in the on-going domestic T20 tournament under the constant care of the PCB’s medical panel.