'I don’t deserve a place in Pakistan team' - Mohammad Rizwan's honest admission amid form slump

Published - 19 Apr 2026, 14:32 IST | Updated - 19 Apr 2026, 14:33 IST

Pakistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan has confessed that he did not deserve to make the squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup. Rizwan was axed from the Pakistan T20I squad owing to concerns over his form and his inability to accelerate innings in T20 cricket.

After Rawalpindiz's loss against Lahore Qalandars on April 18 in the 2026 Pakistan Super League, Rizwan admitted that the concerns over his form are valid and that he does not deserve a place in the Pakistan team with his current performances.

"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,” he said, speaking in front of the press after the game.

"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,” he added.

Q: You didn’t perform in BBL or in Pindiz. It doesn’t look like you’ve got a future in the Pakistan team. Shouldn’t you retire from T20?Muhammad Rizwan said, When I was playing in the BBL and the team got selected, I myself said I didn’t deserve a spot based on that…

Despite this, Rizwan still has the belief that he will be able to turn his form around. Now captaining new franchise Rawalpindiz in the 2026 Pakistan Super League, Rizwan has had a torrid season with the bat, scoring just 107 runs in 7 innings. His team are at the bottom of the league, with seven losses out of seven.

"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," he concluded.

In Rizwan's absence, Pakistan made the Super 8s of the tournament, with opener Sahibzada Farhan breaking the record for the most runs scored by a batter in a single edition with 383. He also scored two centuries in the tournament.