Babar Azam says Mohammad Rizwan should be first-choice keeper over Sarfaraz Ahmed

Pakistan vs England: Babar Azam says Mohammad Rizwan should be first-choice keeper over Sarfaraz Ahmed

July 02, 2020
Sarfaraz Ahmed and Mohammad Rizwan compete for the sole keeping spot.

Batting superstar Babar Azam has said that he sees Mohammad Rizwan as the national cricket team's current first-choice wicketkeeper and that should not change because of his recent bout with Covid-19.

Rizwan, who dislodged former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed in the team last year, was part of the lot that had tested positive for the virus, which deprived him of the chance to travel with the team to Manchester last weekend.

However, he has recovered and is scheduled to join the rest of the team on Friday. With him in the squad, the sole wicketkeeping spot will again have two contenders. Azam though has made it clear that the position is Rizwan's for now.

"Rizwan has now tested negative for Covid-19. He is coming to England. He has been playing in the team of late so he should get the chance here as well. He remains the first-choice," Azam told reporters in an online media conference.

The opening batsman, however, made it clear that Sarfaraz's presence does not complicate the situation at all. In fact, on the very contrary, Azam described his former skipper as a "team man".

"I was the vice-captain with Sarfaraz Ahmed. He led us to the Champions Trophy triumph. I have learnt a lot from him. He is a team man and everyone enjoys with him being around," he said.

Sohail Imran is a senior reporter for Geo News.

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