The Pakistan Cricket Board has officially announced dynamic left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi as the new captain for its One-Day International team. This significant leadership change comes just ahead of Pakistan’s upcoming three-match home series against South Africa, scheduled to take place in Faisalabad from November 4-8.
Afridi steps into the role, replacing Mohammad Rizwan. The Board, however, did not provide a specific reason for Rizwan’s removal from the captaincy.
The decision to appoint Afridi was finalized during a crucial meeting that included key figures such as Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Mike Hesson, high-performance director Aqib Javed, and members of the selection committee. This meeting was specifically convened by Hesson last Saturday to make a definitive choice regarding the ODI captaincy.
Mohammad Rizwan’s tenure saw some notable successes, including leading Pakistan to three consecutive away ODI series victories against formidable opponents like Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa after his appointment last year. However, the team’s performance experienced a downturn this year. Pakistan faced a defeat in the home tri-series final against New Zealand, had an early exit from the Champions Trophy, and also lost a 2-1 series to the West Indies.
Despite the team’s recent struggles, Rizwan has been a strong individual performer, emerging as Pakistan’s second-highest run-scorer in ODIs this year with an impressive 361 runs. Shaheen Shah Afridi, known for his formidable bowling, boasts a record of 131 wickets in 66 ODIs. Interestingly, Afridi previously held the T20 captaincy but was relieved of the role after Pakistan’s 4-1 series loss to New Zealand last year, which marked his debut series as skipper in that format.