3 reasons why Pakistan must back Mohammad Rizwan as captain despite early exit in 2025 Champions Trophy

Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan has copped a lot of criticism after his side crashed out of the group stage of the 2025 Champions Trophy. The Men in Green have lost both of their Group A fixtures so far in the tournament. They still had a grim chance of making it to the semi-finals but Bangladesh's defeat to New Zealand was the final nail in the coffin for the hosts.

Rizwan failed to inspire his side as they lost to the Blackcaps by 60 runs in their opening fixture. The reigning Champions Trophy winners were tipped to bounce back against arch-rivals India but they looked complacent and could never really challenge Rohit Sharma and company, losing by six wickets.

Following Pakistan's exit from the Champions Trophy, many former cricketers, including Sikander Bakht, urged Rizwan to resign. He said that the wicketkeeper-batter was never an ideal candidate for the captaincy role.

“Firstly, Mohammad Rizwan should resign as the captain. Whenever he speaks, I am not able to understand what he says. A person who cannot speak or express himself, what sort of a captain would he be?” Bakht told Geo News via Hindustan Times.

“We have seen his captaincy on the field. He is a bad choice to be the captain. I said the same about Babar Azam as well,” he added.

On that note, let's take a look at three reasons why Pakistan must back Mohammad Rizwan as captain despite his team's early exit in the 2025 Champions Trophy.

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#1 Pakistan have done well under Mohammad Rizwan in ODIs

Although the current results speak against him, Pakistan have actually done well in the 50-over format since Rizwan took over the reins.

The Men in Green made an excellent start under Rizwan in white-ball cricket, securing their first ODI series victory in Australia in 22 years. Pakistan lost their opening game but bounced back to win the next two matches and clinch the series.

The Asian giants then defeated Zimbabwe away from home, winning the three-match series 2-1. Pakistan continued their sublime form, winning 3-0 in South Africa. Overall, Mohammad Rizwan has eight wins out of 14 and boasts a win percentage of 57.14.

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#2 Absence of key players hurt them

Rizwan has attracted a lot of criticism for Pakistan's below-par outings in the Champions Trophy. But, slamming Rizwan alone for his team's dismal outings isn't really justified.

The Men in Green have missed some key players due to injuries, including Saim Ayub, who was arguably their best ODI batter in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy. The left-handed batter amassed 515 runs in nine matches at an average of 64.37 and a strike rate of over 105.53, including three centuries and one fifty.

The unfortunate injury to Fakhar Zaman in the first Champions Trophy match against New Zealand was also a massive blow to the team. Injuries to two key batters had dented Pakistan's chance badly, and thus, blaming the captain alone isn't justified.

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#3 Lack of credible options

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) can go ahead and sack Mohammad Rizwan, blaming him for their poor run in the Champions Trophy. But whom they do turn to for the leadership role in 50-overs cricket?

Star batter Babar Azam has relinquished his duties owing to his poor batting form. They have also sacked Shaheen Afridi after just one series. Salman Agha is the next-best choice for the captaincy role, but he has yet to cement his place in the playing XI and has played only 35 ODIs.

Thus, Rizwan is the senior-most player in the team and the best player to lead the nation. The wicketkeeper-batter has also been their best captain in domestic cricket, having led the Multan Sultans to four consecutive Pakistan Super League (PSL) finals, winning once.