This collage of pictures shows Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan (left) and uncapped wicketkeeper batter Ghazi Ghouri. — AFP/ICC

KARACHI: Former captain Mohammad Rizwan on Saturday came out in support of fellow wicketkeeper batter Ghazi Ghouri amidst the criticism over his selection in Pakistan’s squad for the upcoming away series against Bangladesh.

The Green Shirts are set to feature in their first international assignment following the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 heartbreak, when they tour Bangladesh for an ODI series, with all three of its matches scheduled to be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on March 11, 13 and 15, respectively.

Although the Green Shirts head into the assignment on the back of a 3-0 whitewash over Sri Lanka at home in November last year, they made substantial changes to their squad as star batter Babar Azam, along with Fakhar Zaman, Haseebullah, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah and Saim Ayub were left out.

They were replaced by six uncapped players, including Ghouri, who has 206 runs to his name in 17 List A appearances, coming at a modest average of 20.60 and a strike rate of 79.53.

His underwhelming numbers in List A cricket prompted fans and former cricketers to question his place in the national team.

But Rizwan, who has represented Pakistan in 100 ODIs, welcomed his inclusion in the squad while addressing the media on the sidelines of the national team’s training camp at the Hanif Mohammad High-Performance Centre here on Saturday.

The experienced wicketkeeper batter argued that Ghouri was slotted into the lineup on the basis of his performances and expressed his hope that Pakistan may eventually find what they have been searching for if more wicketkeepers come through the domestic ranks.

“Ghazi has come into the team on the basis of performance. Everyone is entitled to their opinion,” Rizwan told reporters.

“Right now, Ghazi is in the squad, but if you look at the past, many wicketkeepers have been performing. It’s good if more keepers come through the system because Pakistan might finally find what it has been searching for,” he added.

Pakistan squad for Bangladesh ODIs:

Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Saad Masood, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha and Shamyl Hussain.