Mohammad Rizwan in action© AFP
After failing to reach the semi-finals in the T20 World Cup 2026, Pakistan’s poor run continued in the ODIs as well after they lost the three-match series against Bangladesh. Playing under the captaincy of pacer Shaheen Afridi, Pakistan lost the series-deciding match by 11 runs on Sunday in Dhaka. As Pakistan lost the series 1-2, ignored batter Ahmed Shehzad slammed senior wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan for his back-to-back failures on field. Rizwan, who was the senior-most player in the ODI squad against Bangladesh, had a forgettable outing with only 58 runs in three matches.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Shehzad criticised Rizwan’s batting technique, which he failed to improve despite getting a long break before the Bangladesh ODIs.
“The balls are just coming in your range, Rizwan sahab. So much time has passed. We have been saying this for quite some time now. The technique is not there. You have your game based on the leg side. Learn he learn start ho gaya. Learn he learn start ho gaya. (You have just been learning for so many years now),” Shehzad said on his YouTube channel.
“What improvement have you made? You weren’t even there in the T20 World Cup squad; you got so much rest. What did you do? Your job was to score centuries against Bangladesh and take the team over the line. You could have shown the selector what mistake they made by keeping you out,” he added.
Shehzad further advised Rizwan to focus on improving his batting style rather than giving big statements.
“You just keep on talking. You are getting money for playing on the ground, we are here to keep on talking. The people who are selecting you are just not learning. Perform on the ground, don’t talk. There is a huge gap between the bat and the ball. Why aren’t you coming in line? The ball won’t come into your range. Play with a big heart. Ask yourself, are you coming in line with the ball?,” he added.
Rizwan was not a part of Pakistan’s T20 World Cup squad which got eliminated in the Super 8 stage. However, he still found a place in the ODIs against Bangladesh.