Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali revealed that former head coach Gary Kirsten opposed Mohammad Rizwan’s appointment as Pakistan’s white-ball captain. Kirsten, who had a brief six-month tenure, reportedly favored a candidate outside the existing squad. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ultimately chose Rizwan, leading to Kirsten’s resignation.

“It started with Rizwan becoming captain. Kirsten wanted someone else, but he didn’t realize the PCB chairman can change anytime,” Basit said on his YouTube channel, quoted by NDTV. Under Rizwan, Pakistan has had mixed results. They won a historic Test series against England 2-1 at home and secured their first ODI series win in Australia since 2002 with a 2-1 victory. However, they suffered a 3-0 defeat in the T20I series. Pakistan is set to tour Zimbabwe for three ODIs and three T20Is from November 24 to December 5.