Mohammd Rizwan faced one of his bluntest press conference moments after Rawalpindiz’s latest PSL defeat, and his reply was part admission, part defiance. The Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter, under scrutiny for a poor run in T20 cricket, did not try to dodge the question. Instead, he owned his form, admitted his numbers were not good enough, and made it clear that he was not ready to give up on the format yet.
The timing made the exchange heavier. Rizwan had just made 9 in Rawalpindiz’s 32-run defeat to Lahore Qalandars, a result that left his side winless after seven matches and deepened the noise around both his captaincy and his won T20 future. Against that backdrop, Rizwan’s answer became the centre of the interaction.
Rizwan admits poor form, but refuses to give up
Asked whether his recent performances, including in franchise cricket, had hurt his case for Pakistan’s T20 side, Rizwan did not resist the criticism. “When I was playing in the Big Bash, the team was selected. I went there and said that I don’t deserve a place in the Pakistan team with my current performance,” said Rizwan.
That early admission set the tone. Rizwan was not claiming he had been treated unfairly. He was saying, in his own words, that he knew his performances were not enough to get him selected.
But he quickly turned from confession to resolve. “But I am the same person who was sitting here in front of you, and you told me that I cannot hit a sixer, if you remember. I am being honest. Haris (Rauf) is sitting in the back; he is a witness. We talked about this. We were eating there, and I told Haris that I don’t deserve a place in the Pakistan team with this kind of performance. He said something to me that I cannot say in front of you. He knows. He is sitting there,” said Rizwan.
Then he widened the response beyond numbers and criticism, bringing the human side into it. “But, I tell you that we are human beings. I said in the beginning that I made a mistake. My performance is not good. But this does not mean that I will lose hope and sit. Or I will leave cricket. If I have strength, I will do it.”
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“Cricket is passion”: Mohammad Rizwan
That was the heart of the answer. Rizwan accepted failure, but rejected surrender. “If I don’t, I have already told the captains before that my performance is not good. Give someone else a chance when I was not doing well. There are examples. When Saifi bhai was with the team, I have done this. I am not afraid of anyone; if something is wrong, it is wrong.”
The cricketer then closed his reply in a personal note. “For me, cricket is a passion. I play T20, Test, and ODI. I love cricket. That is why I play it. I don’t know anything else in my life. I don’t have a business. I don’t play any other sport. I only play cricket. Yes, I am losing now. My performance is not good. But by the will of God, my hard work is never less. I have worked hard. By God’s will, I will stand in front of you again, after my hard work.”
It was Mohammad Rizwan standing in the wreckage of his form and insisting he still intends to fight his way back.