Pakistan cricketers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were seen having a meal with Naseem Shah's father as they reached Makkah, Saudi Arabia for Umrah. A video of the same surfaced on social media as Rizwan and Babar were seen in traditional attire. Both will return to on-field during the upcoming tour of New Zealand.
Babar and Rizwan faced plenty of criticism for underperforming in the recent Champions Trophy 2025 tournament that resulted in Pakistan's early exit from the event. Babar managed scores of 60 and 23 in the tournament, while Rizwan made 3 and 46 in the two games he played. With the nation hosting an ICC event for the first time since 29 years, the Men in Green disappointed on all fronts and were unsuccessful in defending their crown, contrary to the fans' expectations.
Mohammad Rizwan sacked from white-ball captaincy:
Rizwan, meanwhile, has had to bear the brunt of poor results as T20I captain ahead of the three-match ODI series and five-game T20I rubber in New Zealand. With Pakistan losing the T20I series in Australia and South Africa comprehensively under him, the 32-year-old has not only been included in the squad for the shortest format but also been sacked from captaincy.
Hence, all-rounder Salman Ali Agha will lead the T20I side. Pakistan's tour of New Zealand begins with the T20Is on March 16 at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
