Not ashamed that as Pakistan's captain, I cannot speak English: Mohammad Rizwan

Karachi, April 12: Pakistan's white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan, who has often been subjected to criticism and trolling for his spoken English, gave a fitting reply to his trolls with an honest admission. Rizwan admitted he is not ashamed of his incapacity to speak the language; the only factor he is focused on is the demand from him to play cricket and not speak English.

Rizwan has been trolled on social media for his English speaking. Various clips and videos of his post- and pre-match interactions have gone viral, leading to trolls mocking him.

The Multan Sultans' captain addressed the criticism and trolls targeting him for his spoken English. During a press conference, he told reporters, as quoted from Geo News, "I regret not completing my education, which is why I don't know English, but I am not ashamed that as Pakistan's captain, I cannot speak English."

"The demand from me is to play cricket, not to speak English. If Pakistan wanted English, I would become a professor, learn it, and return. But Pakistan asks me for cricket, not English," he added.

Rizwan shifted his focus to Pakistan's ongoing woes in the field, which have sparked criticism across the globe. Once considered to be an Asian powerhouse, the current Pakistan lot is chasing shadows of their former glory.

Barring their chaotic campaigns in the past ICC tournaments, Pakistan were truly exposed in the Champion Trophy organised on their home turf. The party organisers were the first to crash out of the tournament following back-to-back defeats against New Zealand and India, ending their title defence in the group stage.

After the Champions Trophy debacle, Pakistan toured New Zealand for five T20Is and three ODIs while keeping the 2026 and 2027 World Cups in the back of their minds. With a couple of new faces, Pakistan succumbed to a 4-1 series defeat but remained optimistic, hoping to bounce back in the three ODIs.

Rizwan and Babar Azam, among the notable absentees in the T20Is, returned to the squad, but Pakistan's fate remained intact. An inexperienced New Zealand side whitewashed Pakistan by orchestrating a 3-0 series triumph.

Pakistan suffered a lot of backlash after their unimpressive run. Amid the heavy criticism from fans and former cricketers, Rizwan urged the critics to offer solutions and guide them through the turbulent phase, leading to their improvement.

"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," he said.

Rizwan acknowledged that fans have the right to be upset when the team fails to deliver and added, "Fans are justified in their anger, and they've all the right to be upset at us because they also love us. But the Pakistan Super League (PSL) has given so much to Pakistan. Now it's time to enjoy the league."

Reader Comments

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Sarah K.

Respect to Rizwan for keeping it real! Since when did English fluency become a requirement for cricket excellence? Focus on his batting and leadership, not his language skills. 🇵🇰🏏

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Ali R.

While I admire his honesty, I do think international captains should work on basic English communication. It helps in global tournaments and media interactions. But the trolling is completely unnecessary.

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Muneeb H.

This man speaks the language of cricket better than most! His average of 50+ in T20Is says more than any English interview ever could. #RespectRizwan

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Fatima S.

People forget Imran Khan struggled with English early in his career too. What matters is performance and passion for the country. Rizwan has both in abundance! ❤️

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Tariq J.

The team's performance is what we should really be talking about. 3-0 loss to NZ's B team is concerning. Hope they can turn things around before the World Cup.

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Zara A.

Love his attitude! "Pakistan asks me for cricket, not English" - what a powerful statement. The man knows his priorities 👏 Maybe we should focus on supporting our team instead of mocking them.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.