Shaheen Shah Afridi Appointed as Pakistan's New ODI Captain, Replacing Mohammad Rizwan
In a significant shake-up to Pakistan's cricket leadership, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the appointment of Shaheen Shah Afridi as the new captain of the national men's ODI team, replacing Mohammad Rizwan. The decision, revealed on Monday, marks a new direction for the team as they prepare for future international competitions.
The PCB's announcement comes after a meeting in Islamabad involving white-ball head coach Mike Hesson, Director of High Performance Aqib Javed, and members of the selection committee. The change in leadership is effective immediately, with Afridi set to take charge for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa, scheduled to be held at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad from November 4 to 8.
While the PCB's official statement did not explicitly state the reasons for Rizwan's removal, it follows a period of inconsistent performance by the team. Under Rizwan's captaincy, Pakistan experienced both highs and lows, including series wins against Australia, South Africa and Zimbabwe in late 2024. However, recent setbacks, such as failing to progress beyond the group stage of the Champions Trophy 2025 and a series loss to the West Indies, have put the captaincy under scrutiny. Furthermore, Rizwan's individual form with the bat has also been a talking point.
Shaheen Shah Afridi, a prominent fast bowler, has previously led Pakistan in T20Is. He also boasts experience captaining the Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The 25-year-old seems to be head coach Mike Hesson's pick as the team's leader, as they build towards the 2027 World Cup. Afridi's earlier stint as T20I captain, which involved a five-match series against New Zealand in January 2024, saw Pakistan suffer a 4-1 defeat. He was then replaced by Babar Azam.
Afridi has represented Pakistan in 66 ODIs and 92 T20Is, amassing a total of 249 wickets. In 32 Test matches, excluding the ongoing second Test against South Africa, he has taken 120 wickets.
With this change, Pakistan now has different captains for each format of the game: Shan Masood for Test matches, Salman Ali Agha for T20Is, and Shaheen Shah Afridi for ODIs. This split captaincy approach indicates a strategic effort by the PCB to optimize leadership across different formats.
The PCB has not yet released an official reason for removing Rizwan from the ODI captaincy. Rizwan's tenure as ODI captain saw Pakistan win nine and lose 11 of the 20 matches he led, with a winning percentage of 45. He was initially appointed as both ODI and T20I captain in October of the previous year, ahead of white-ball tours against Australia and Zimbabwe.
