"King kar lega": Mohammad Rizwan cheekily responds to reporter's query on opener for PAK vs NZ tri-series ODI match [Watch]

Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan responded cheekily to a question by a reporter during a press conference about who will open the innings during the tri-series opener against New Zealand on Saturday (February 8) at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. With the reporter requesting the keeper-batter to disclose who will open the innings, Rizwan used the phrase 'King kar lega', pointing strongly towards Babar Azam.

With specialist opener Saim Ayub recovering from an ankle injury, the selectors are likely to have Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman bat at the top. While Babar averages an outstanding 60.14 at No. 3 in ODIs, he has opened only twice in the format, scoring a best of 22 in those. Hence, the move may backfire for the Men in Green as they look to successfully defend their Champions Trophy title this year.

With the reporter requesting Rizwan to break his silence on who the opener will be, this is how he responded:

"Iske jawaab mein woh baat ki thi na, 'King kar lega'." (The answer is, there was a line 'King will do it'.)

Ayub, who according to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will take five more weeks to recover, played a crucial role in Pakistan's series win in South Africa and Australia. The series in South Africa especially saw him muster 235 runs in three ODIs at 78.33 as the tourists swept it 3-0.

"His void is there" - Mohammad Rizwan on Saim Ayub

Saim Ayub (Image Credits: Getty)

Speaking about Ayub, the 32-year-old claimed that the youngster is a complete package due to his expertise across facets; hence, their planning has been slightly disturbed. However, the skipper assured Pakistan will not use it as an excuse.

Rizwan said, as quoted by Geo Sports:

"Look, we all know how well Saim Ayub performed recently. It was exceptional, considering the conditions and oppositions he flared against. Anyway, his void is in the team because he is such a package for Pakistan who can be fit anywhere be it his bowling, fielding or batting.

"You can also that our planning got disturbed but we should not be focusing on the names but on the process. So, his void is there but the process remained the same for us and it will not be an excuse for us."

Both Pakistan and New Zealand will want to get off to a winning start, especially with the Champions Trophy looming.