“You’ve gone from a Ferrari to a rickshaw” - Mohammad Amir’s hilarious criticism of Pakistan star after 2025 Champions Trophy failure 

Former pacer Mohammad Amir has taken a jibe at Pakistan white-ball skipper Mohammad Rizwan for the side's early exit in the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Notably, Rizwan was named Pakistan's captain in October 2024. Since then, he has led the side to ODI series victories in Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. However, they could only prevail against Zimbabwe, while losing to Australia and South Africa in the T20I leg.

The Pakistan Tri-Nation Series 2025 saw the Men in Green losing the final to New Zealand. Thereafter, they clashed against the Kiwi side in their Champions Trophy opener.

Although Pakistan secured early breakthroughs, New Zealand went on to post 320. In response, the hosts were bundled out for 260 and lost by 60 runs.

Thereafter, Pakistan were pitted against their arch-rivals India in a must-win clash. Batting first, they managed to compile only a 241-run total, which the Men in Blue chased easily under 43 overs.

Pakistan finished last in the Group A points table after a washout game against Bangladesh. As a result, the Mohammad Rizwan-led are now receiving flak for not proving their merit in home conditions.

During an interaction with Sports Tak, journalist Vikrant Gupta asked Mohammad Amir if Rizwan was a better captain than Babar Azam. He responded by saying:

“Mohammad Rizwan… (laughs) You’ve gone from a Ferrari to a rickshaw now (laughs). At one point, I admired him because he had experience captaining domestic cricket and the PSL, where he led his team to the finals. But suddenly, within just a few months, his decision-making changed completely. I’m unsure what caused this shift since I haven’t been in the dressing room with him during that period. His choices now seem unusual,” he remarked.

Amir added:

“Initially, he was a bold captain, and it seemed he would bring about positive changes. However, within a few months, it felt like he had drifted away from the cricketing mindset. Many people, including Ahmed Shehzad, Wasim Akram, and others, have pointed out flaws in the squad. There is a lack of genuine openers and key spinners.

"If Rizwan claims he had no authority over selections, that’s not entirely true. The same influence that helped him become captain could have been used to shape the team, but he didn’t take that step. I don’t understand why."

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Senior Pakistan players to take break from New Zealand Tour

As per reports, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is likely to give opportunities to talented youngsters in the white-ball tour to New Zealand later this month. The series will comprise five T20Is and three ODIs and will run from March 16 to April 5.

Notably, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah and Babar Azam are contemplating taking a break from national duties. Moreover, the PCB Chairman is said to have met players who have performed well in domestic cricket.

After the team's early exit from the Champions Trophy, Aqib Javed's future as Pakistan’s interim head coach doesn't look promising.