NEW DELHI : In a major development, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has removed Mohammad Rizwan from the role of ODI captain, appointing pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi as his replacement.
The announcement came shortly after the end of the first day’s play of the ongoing Rawalpindi Test against South Africa, a match that features both Rizwan and Afridi, as per ESPNcricinfo.
The PCB did not cite any reason for Rizwan’s removal, nor did it mention his name in the official statement. According to the board, the decision was taken following a meeting in Islamabad between the selection committee and Pakistan’s white-ball head coach, Mike Hesson.
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Rizwan’s removal, however, seemed imminent. Over the weekend, the PCB had released a statement that pointedly declining to confirm him as the ODI captain.
The move to replace Rizwan was not solely driven by Hesson but had broader support from senior PCB officials involved in the decision-making process.
For Afridi, this marks another chapter in his leadership journey. His previous stint as captain in the white-ball format did not go as planned, he led Pakistan in the T20I series against New Zealand in January 2024, which the team lost 4-1. Soon after, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi refrained from confirming his continuation as captain, and a week later, Babar Azam was reinstated as skipper.
