PCB names Mohammad Rizwan as new white-ball skipper

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named Mohammad Rizwan as the new white-ball captain. This comes after Babar Azam stood down from the white-ball captaincy recently.

The development was announced a day after Pakistan beat England 2-1 in the home Test series - their first series victory under new skipper Shan Masood who had replaced Babar after the ODI World Cup 2023.

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The PCB also announced their contract with only Babar and Rizwan being the players in the top category. The 32-year-old's first assignment as captain is going to be the ODI and T20I series in Australia and Zimbabwe.

"I am committed to giving my absolute best in this role and look forward to working closely with the selectors, coaches and my immensely talented teammates," Rizwan said in a statement via the PCB.

"Together, we aim to meet and exceed the expectations of our fans and supporters," the statement further read.

The PCB also announced the return of Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Azam for the Australia tour after the trio was 'rested' from the last two England Tests.

Salman Ali Agha, who is part of all four squads, has been named the vice captain. Agha will also lead the T20I side against Zimbabwe with Rizwan sitting the series out.

In other notable contract news, the PCB has kept Test skipper Shan Masood in grade B of the central contract list with a condition. Masood will remain in the grade till the time he's the captain.

There's been a lot of scrutiny on Masood and had it not been the series win against England, he would sure have been out as the skipper.

Pakistan's Australia tour starts November 4 while the Zimbabwe tour is from December 24-December 5.