The Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) national selection committee and advisory board will meet jointly in Lahore on Monday, with the outcome potentially affecting veteran wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan’s captaincy in the 50-over format.
In a statement, the PCB acknowledged that Mike Hesson, the head coach of Pakistan’s white ball format teams, had written to Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the PCB, asking for a meeting of the selectors and advisers to be called in order to address captaincy and issues pertaining to the ODI team.
“No decision has been taken on the ODI captaincy. The chairman, Mohsin Naqvi has asked the selectors and advisors to meet on Monday to discuss the matter,” it said.
Hesson will attend the meeting as well. With Shan Masood guiding the Test team, Rizwan leading the ODI squad, and Salman Ali Agha leading the national T20 squad, Pakistan has three different captains in the three formats.
The meeting’s convening suggests Hesson may press for a change in captaincy in accordance with his objectives, even though there are unconfirmed speculations that Shaheen Shah Afridi or Salman Alli Agha will succeed Rizwan as captain. It remains to be seen, though, if the advisors and selectors agree with his opinions.
Former Test players Sarfaraz Ahmed and Sikander Bakht serve as advisors, while Aaqib Javed, Asad Shafiq, Aleem Dar, and Azhar Ali are the selectors.
The chairman receives direct reports from Sarfaraz and Sikander, who also serve as his advisors on all cricket-related issues.
Like Babar Azam, Rizwan has been out of the T20 format since December 2024. He led Pakistan to victories in ODI series against South Africa, Australia, and Zimbabwe, but the team’s performance suffered in a tri-series against South Africa at home and New Zealand prior to the ICC Champions Trophy and other important events.
Even after the Champions Trophy, Rizwan was still captain when Pakistan lost a series in the West Indies and New Zealand.
