Speaking at a press conference in Karachi ahead of Multan Sultans’ match against Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Rizwan addressed the issue directly, stating that his focus is on cricket, not language proficiency.
Hosts Pakistan and Bangladesh have had several similarities in their disappointing ICC Champions Trophy exits.
It appears that interest has waned in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, and its twin city, Rawalpindi, as fans turn their backs on today’s ICC Champions Trophy Group A clash between Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Hosts Pakistan went down by six wickets in Dubai for their second defeat in the 50-over tournament to all but bow out of the semifinal race.
Pakistan's title defence in the first global tournament in the country since 1996 got off to a stuttering start with New Zealand winning the Group A match by 60 runs.
Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan said on Tuesday the Champions Trophy would be a "historic occasion" for the country, a day before the hosts kick the tournament off against New Zealand.
Mohammad Rizwan will lead the team, having done so since Babar Azam stepped down from the role after the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in 2023. This is the first 50-over ICC tournament since then.
Rizwan was appointed captain of limited over formats on Sunday, replacing Babar Azam who had two turns in the post but wasn't able to allay a run of disastrous tournament performances.
Rizwan will take over from Babar Azam, who stepped down from the position at the beginning of this month.
Anew batter has scaled the peak of the MRF Tyres ICC Men's Player Rankings for T20Is after his exceptional performances in the Asia Cup.
Mohammad Rizwan made 71 as Pakistan beat India by five wickets in their opening Super Four game at the Asia Cup on Sunday.
Mohammad Rizwan and Agha Salman made unbeaten half-centuries as Pakistan eased to a seven-wicket win over the Netherlands in the second one-day international in Rotterdam on Thursday to complete a series victory.
