The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) declared on Monday that pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi would be the next captain of Pakistan after Mohammad Rizwan was fired as the team’s ODI captain.
Following the conclusion of the first day of play in the second Test match between South Africa and Pakistan in Rawalpindi, which includes both Rizwan and Afridi, the PCB confirmed the decision, according to an ESPNCricinfo report.
In the official statement, the PCB did not name Rizwan or provide an explanation for his removal.
The board stated that the decision was made after a meeting between Mike Hesson, the head coach of Pakistan’s white-ball team, and the national selection committee in Islamabad.
But Rizwan’s removal looked imminent. In a statement issued over the weekend, the PCB vehemently refused to confirm him as the ODI captain.
In addition to Hesson, senior PCB officials who participated in the decision-making process supported the decision to replace Rizwan.
This is a new chapter in Afridi’s leadership development. His previous experience as captain in the white-ball format did not go as intended, as in January 2024, he led Pakistan in a T20I series against New Zealand, which they lost 1-4.
Babar Azam was reinstalled as captain a week later when PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi soon declined to affirm his continued captaincy.
