Pakistan sack Mohammad Rizwan, appoint Shaheen Afridi as ODI captain

Pakistan have made yet another leadership change as pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has replaced Mohammad Rizwan as the new captain in ODIs. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed Shaheen's appointment as the new skipper in the fifty-over format on Monday, October 20, after a meeting between head coach Mike Hesson, selectors and others in Islamabad.

Earlier, reports had confirmed that Rizwan's days as Pakistan's ODI captain were numbered and that a change was inevitable. Shaheen was one of the leading contenders for the leadership role along with former captain Babar Azam and current T20I skipper Salman Ali Agha. The selectors and the Pakistan team management showed their faith in the 24-year-old left-arm quick.

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Afridi is Pakistan's leading pacer in white-ball cricket and has been with the national setup for seven years now, having made his debut in 2018. He is one of the vital cogs in Pakistan's white-ball line-up and is known for his wicket-taking abilities with the new ball. Afridi will be returning to leadership, having led Pakistan in T20Is before.

Afridi was appointed as Pakistan's T20I captain after Babar Azam stepped down as captain from all three formats following the 2023 ODI World Cup. However, his reign ended in March 2024 as Babar was reinstated as captain ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024. He has now been handed over the baton in ODIs after Rizwan's sacking.

However, it won't be an easy task for Afridi, whose leadership will be under scrutiny from all corners amid Pakistan's woeful run in white-ball cricket. Afridi will lead Pakistan in their upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa at home, which gets underway on November 04. 

Rizwan was sacked as Pakistan's ODI captain after the team's ordinary performance under his leadership. The wicket-keeper batter took over from Babar as Pakistan's limited-overs captain in October last year and failed to lead the team to any major victories. Pakistan endured a disastrous campaign in the Champions Trophy 2025 despite being the hosts.

Under Rizwan, Pakistan managed only 9 wins in 20 ODIs, while losing 11 matches. In T20Is, he led Pakistan in only 4 matches and lost all four. He was replaced by Salman Agha as Pakistan's T20I skipper and has now lost ODI captaincy to Shaheen.

Rizwan's removal from captaincy also highlights the instability and lack of planning in Pakistan cricket as the PCB continues to chop and change captains every few months. There have been frequent captaincy and coaching changes in the Pakistan setup over the last few years, but results have never materalised for the Men in Green.