Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam have been captains of the Pakistan National Cricket Team at one point in their careers. Thus, they are some of the biggest figures in Pakistan cricket, but their story takes a tragic turn in 2025. Both are now under controversy with a public outcry calling for the termination of their contracts.

Former professional cricketer, Sikander Bakht, is the most vocal figure on this topic. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have also been stern with both cricketers but have not responded to the request for their termination. 

Do Rizwan and Azam deserve to be sacked for recent events? Here are different angles to ponder about the topic:

‘They are employees of the PCB�- Sikander Bakht

Sikander Bakht is vocal in his distaste for Rizwan and Azam’s decision to opt out of the National T20 Cup. It is the biggest domestic T20 cricket league where all professional cricketers with contracts with the PCB are expected to participate. However, Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam were completely absent from training at their respective clubs.

Therefore, these two star cricketers are disrespecting the PCB, according to Bakht in his interview with Geo Super in March 2025. The former professional cricketer called PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi to be strict about this matter. Bakht stressed that the punishment should be the cancellation of Rizwan and Azam’s contract. 

What was going on with Rizwan and Azam?

Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam weren’t always under fire. They were once celebrated athletes in the country, even becoming captains of the national team. However, they performed poorly in the 2025 ICC Champions Cup that they were not included in the T20I squad against New Zealand as of writing.

Azam is in a better situation of the two for his captaincy showcased positive results in the past. He may be blamed for the 2023 ODI World Cup disaster, but he had a good run from 2021 to 2023.

However, Azam had an inconsistent performance in the domestic league in 2024/25. His decision to withdraw was due to his decreasing performance and desire to rest and reserve his strength for more important international appearances. No matter his reason, he is still skipping an important competition where he’s expected to play under the PCB contract.

Mohammad Rizwan, on the other hand, experienced a humiliating season as the T20I captain in 2024/25. He was blamed for Pakistan’s winless campaign at the ICC Champions Trophy, which prompted the PCB to drop him as T20I captain. Following this decision, he announced that he wouldn’t play at the National T20 Cup as well. 

Should PCB cancel their contract?

Bakht firmly believes that Mohsin Naqvi should terminate both Rizwan and Azam. In his point of view, these are two employees with significant salaries, so their deliberate absence is disrespectful to the PCB. 

Fans are rightfully critical of Rizwan and Azam after their wavering performances. However, these are not grounds for termination. Plus, both players are still in the Pakistan Squad for the ODI Series against New Zealand. Thus, terminating them now is letting go of valuable assets in international events. 

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Former captain of Pakistan's One-Day International (ODI) team, Mohammad Rizwan, made a controversial decision to step down from the National T20 Cup 2025. Instead, he has chosen to play club cricket following his disastrous tenure in the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025. 

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) already dropped him from captaincy after Pakistan finished at the bottom of Group A. Most expected him to return at least to his domestic team, the Comilla Victorians, but he decided to step down entirely. Rizwan returned home to perform Umrah, where he will also play at a club cricket level. 

Mohammad Rizwan's decision sparked reactions online

Pakistani cricket fans shared strong reactions over Rizwan’s shocking decision on social media like Facebook. A few wished him well but most were mocking him, saying that it’s where he belongs. More photos of Mohammad Rizwan are shared online, notably X (formerly Twitter) where he’s playing at a club cricket match. 

Who is the new Pakistan national team captain?

The PCB dropped Rizwan following their early exit from the Champions Trophy. They have elected Salman Ali Agha as the new T20I captain. He will also serve as the team's vice-captain for ODI matches. You can see him in action at the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup.

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Cricket has been around since the 16th century, which means different standout teams across eras. Dominant teams have been performing throughout the years, shaping the history of a great sport. Exploring the eras and teams can help you get a good grasp of cricket, the quality of the sport, and its best representatives.

Dive into the most influential cricket teams ever. Check them out below:

West Indies (1970s to 1990s)

Every time people talk about dominance in cricket, they never fail to talk about the West Indies from the latter decades of the 20th century. The national team was known for their focus on fast bowlers as they knew they had the power to make every opponent wary when they had to bat. 

They won the first two Cricket World Cups in 1975 and 1979, setting the golden standard for all cricket teams. The West Indies always looked invincible during those times, which made them such a scary team to go against. Their fast bowlers were known for instilling fear in every opposing team.

Bowlers like Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, and Michael Holding were focal points for the Caribbean cricketers. At the same time, they were also superb in the leadership and strategy sense as captains like Viv Richards made the team nigh-unbeatable.

Pakistan (1990s)

Through the eras of cricket, there have been many standout teams. However, they were never the most unpredictable to go against, which made Pakistan such a good team during the 1990s. This was headlined by their 1992 World Cup victory under captain Imran Khan.

Fast bowling was a big part of their game with names like Wasim Akram leading the charge. They were always wild cards, which made it tough to play and game plan against them. That fearless play style has bled into the modern era across different teams, but Pakistan was the starting point for that kind of team.

As one of the most talented groups of cricket athletes, Pakistan’s 1990s era remains iconic. Cricket fans who want to learn about Pakistan's prime, the 1990s is always the era they go back to. They are still a decent team today, but they will have to be lucky to get this kind of success again.

Australia (1999 to 2007)

Ahead of the 21st century, Australia started to establish themselves as the world’s best cricketing country. During these eight years, they earned two separate 16-match winning streaks in Test cricket. They also won three consecutive World Cups, going unbeaten in 2003 and 2007.

Ricky Ponting was the obvious standout player during this era, but he had some help with players like Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, and Matthew Hayden. This Australian era is arguably the pinnacle of competitive cricket, which could be argued against, but it cannot be denied that they were superb during this time.

India (2016 to the present)

Every cricket fan in the world knows that India is well-known for their intense passion for cricket. It has been a top country for a long time as they see cricket as one of the country’s biggest sports. The cricket community in the country is comparable to what you see with football worldwide.

That is the level of passion for cricket from Indians. With that kind of love and passion, it was obvious that more Indian athletes would dive into cricket. They did so and have continued to produce the best talents in the sport’s history.

With names like Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, and more, India has won plenty of trophies through the years. You can never go wrong with picking India as a top cricketing country as they have unlocked their potential. They continue to have strong players in their development pipeline, and they will keep progressing with their tactics as the years go by.

Cricket will keep evolving

The sport of cricket has produced remarkable moments throughout its history. Every country that has stood out in cricket has earned their way to becoming the best nation in the world. There are now established cricket titans like the aforementioned teams, but there is room for improvement and evolution that could take fresh faces to the top.

Teams like New Zealand, South Africa, and Ireland are mainstays of the cricket tournaments. However, there might be untapped potential that could make them the next nation to become a top team. The future is bright for cricket, and it will only keep growing from here.

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