After Asia Cup snub, ex-Pakistan captain joins CPL side as Fazalhaq Farooqi's replacement
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "After Asia Cup snub, ex-Pakistan captain joins CPL side as Fazalhaq Farooqi's replacement")
After Asia Cup snub, ex-PAK captain joins CPL side as Farooqi's replacement Photograph: (AFP)
Rizwan, like Babar Azam, has also not been part of Pakistan’s T20I squads lately, including on the away tours of Bangladesh and the West Indies. Both, however, remain part of the ODI setup.
Former Pakistan white-ball captain and gloveman Mohammad Rizwan has agreed to join Caribbean Premier League (CPL) side St Kitts and Nevis Patriots for the remainder of the season, signing as a replacement for Afghanistan seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi, who will link up with the national team for the triangular T20I series involving Pakistan and the host UAE. It, however, remains unclear if Rizwan will be part of St Kitts’ game on Thursday (Aug 21) in a home game against Barbados Royals. Rizwan is said to have received the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to feature in the Caribbean franchise league.
It’s the first time that Rizwan will feature in the CPL, adding to a growing list of Pakistani players in the tournament. On Thursday, Antigua and Barbados Falcons signed leggie Usama Mir, and the Patriots had already signed two Pakistani quicks – Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi, who is also part of the tri-series in the UAE. Besides them, the retired pair of Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir are also part of this competition.
Meanwhile, Rizwan’s signing means he completes his quota of two overseas T20 leagues that the PCB has stipulated as the maximum number of centrally contracted players can participate in (a 12-month period), starting July this year. Earlier, Rizwan confirmed his participation for the Melbourne Renegades in the forthcoming BBL season.
No Rizwan for Pakistan in 2025 Asia Cup
The PCB announced the Pakistan squad for the triangular series and the 2025 Asia Cup last week, dropping two of their star players, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. Having last played a T20I for Pakistan in December 2024, Babar was asked to work on his strike rate and his game against the spinners in the middle order before he pushes for his case in the shortest format.
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Rizwan, like Babar, has also not been part of Pakistan’s T20I squads lately, including on the away tours of Bangladesh and the West Indies. Both, however, remain part of the ODI setup.
Meanwhile, the tri-series between Pakistan, Afghanistan and the UAE will serve as a warm-up for the 2025 Asia Cup beginning September 9. With the competition to be played in the T20 format, Pakistan has never won the shortest format version of it, having reached the final in 2022.
