Pakistan’s new white-ball captain, Mohammad Rizwan, has opened on Gary Kirsten and Fakhar Zaman. Kirsten resigned from the post of Pakistan’s white-ball head coach post, while Fakhar was not given a central contract and was dropped from the team for writing a tweet in favor of Babar Azam.

The Men in Green are in Australia for three ODIs and three T20Is, but Fakhar’s absence could impact the team’s performance.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, has revealed that the southpaw failed a fitness test, and his statement on Babar was also not taken lightly.

Rizwan was asked about PCB’s decision to drop Zaman. Rizwan hailed the batter and hoped that the issue would be resolved soon.

“Fakhar Zaman is a match-winner and can change the game singlehandedly. Some things are beyond my control, but we have discussed his potential return, and I hope the issues will be resolved soon,” Rizwan said.

Zaman has scored 3492 runs at an average of 46.56 and a strike rate of 93.44 in 82 ODIs. In 92 T20Is, he has amassed 1848 runs at an average of 22.81 and a strike rate of 132.94.

Mohammad Rizwan refused to give importance to Gary Kirsten’s departure.

“We don’t think about individuals while playing for the country. Our job is to play for Pakistan, and whoever is chosen as head coach, we will work with that person to achieve our goals,” he added.