Star wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan was on Monday sacked by the Pakistan Cricket Board as the ODI skipper, with ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi named the new captain, weeks ahead of the ODI series against South Africa, that starts on November 4.
The Pakistan Cricket Board announced the decision after the opening day of the Rawalpindi Test against South Africa, a game featuring both Rizwan and Shaheen.
No reason was given for Rizwan’s removal, in fact, his name didn’t appear in the PCB’s official statement. The board said that the decision was made after a meeting in Islamabad between the selection committee and white-ball head coach Mike Hesson.
Rizwan’s removal appeared inevitable after the PCB issued a statement over the weekend declining
to confirm him as ODI skipper. Instead, the board said that Hesson had requested chairman Mohsin Naqvi to convene a meeting with the selection and advisory committee to appoint a new captain.
According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, the desire to replace Rizwan wasn’t at the behest of the head coach, but enjoyed wider backing at the highest level of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision-making process.
Afridi’s previous stint as a white-ball skipper was far from memorable. Appointed to lead the T20I team for the series against New Zealand in January 2024, he oversaw a 4–1 loss before being replaced in circumstances similar to Rizwan’s current ouster.
Naqvi declined to confirm Shaheen’s continuation and a week later, Babar Azam was reinstated as skipper.
Although Pakistan continue with different skippers across formats, Rizwan was, until recently, considered the most secure of the three. Since taking charge of the ODI team last year, he has been just four runs shy of being Pakistan’s top run-scorer, averaging nearly 42.
Under Rizwan’s captaincy, Pakistan clinched ODI series victories in Australia and South Africa in 2024, though their form has declined since, culminating in a disappointing first-round exit at the home Champions Trophy.
