Pakistan’s white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan, often at the receiving end of criticism and trolling for his spoken English, delivered a fitting response to his detractors with a candid admission. Rizwan made it clear that he isn’t ashamed of his struggle with the language, emphasising that his primary responsibility is to play cricket—not speak English.
Rizwan has frequently been mocked on social media, with several clips of his post- and pre-match interviews going viral and attracting trolling over his English.
Addressing the issue head-on during a press conference, Rizwan said: “I don’t care [about social media trolling]. I am proud of one thing and that is whatever I say, I say from my heart. I don’t know English.”
He added: “The only regret is that I did not get enough education but I am not even one per cent ashamed that I can’t speak English despite being the captain of the Pakistan cricket team.”
“The demand from me is cricket, not English. There is a regret that I did not complete my education, which is why I struggle in speaking English,” he further said.
“Pakistan is not demanding English from me if that is the case, I will leave cricket to become a professor but I do not have that much time,” he added.
Shifting his focus to Pakistan’s current struggles on the field, Rizwan acknowledged the team’s poor form, which has drawn widespread criticism. Once hailed as an Asian powerhouse, the current Pakistan side appears to be a shadow of its former self.
Beyond their turbulent runs in previous ICC tournaments, Pakistan were laid bare during the Champions Trophy hosted on home soil. The hosts exited in the group stage after suffering consecutive defeats to New Zealand and India, bringing a premature end to their title defence.
Their underwhelming campaign triggered significant backlash.
“It’s fine to criticise the team, but also guide us on how to improve. Recently, during the Champions Trophy, Wasim Akram gave us advice. I wanted to talk more with him, but there wasn’t enough time,” Rizwan said.
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