Shaheen Afridi snatches Pakistan ODI captaincy from Mohammad Rizwan!! Dressing room chaos confirmed
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Former Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan has been removed from ODI Captaincy after the selection and advisory committee's joint meeting on Monday. Pakistan speedster Shaheen Afridi has replaced Rizwan as Pakistan's ODI Captain.
Pakistan are currently hosting South Africa for the two-match Test series that ends on the 24th of October in Rawalpindi. The series will be followed by a 3-match T20I series, which brings back skipper Salman Agha leading the comparatively young Pakistan side.
The tour extends further with a 3-match ODI series as well, to be played between the two nations on the 4th of November at Faisalabad. The Pakistan white-ball coach, Mike Hesson, and the PCB Selection committee have resorted to making some tough choices ahead of the series.
Shaheen Afridi named Pakistan's new ODI Captain
The South Africa ODI series marks the beginning of preparations for the upcoming ODI World Cup in South Africa in 2027. The Pakistan team was ruled out in 2023 after they failed to advance to the World Cup semi-finals, having thrived through the round-robin format.
The Pakistan white-ball coach clearly wasn't happy with the previous leadership and had urged the PCB to call for a joint meeting of the selection and the advisory committee before the start of the white-ball series.
Mohammad Rizwan, the 33-year-old former Pakistani skipper, was sacked and replaced by 25-year-old speedster Shaheen Afridi. The decision was announced shortly after the first day of the Second Test concluded at Rawalpindi.
Mohammad Rizwan provided no clarity on the Captaincy Snub
As per ESPNcricinfo reports, Rizwan has not been provided with any clarity over his snub from ODI Captaincy; however, the failure of the Pakistan side in the ICC Champions Trophy and mediocre performance throughout One-day bilaterals might be cited as a reason.
The PCB did not even bother mentioning the former skipper in their statement. The decision was made in the meeting scheduled by the PCB between Pakistan white-ball head coach Mike Hesson and the selection committee at Islamabad on Monday.
However, the decision didn't come as of surprise, as PCB put out a statement over the weekend declining to confirm Rizwan as the ODI captain ahead of the white-ball leg of the South Africa home series. The reports also claim that the initial behest was from Rizwan to snub the former skipper; however, it later received wider backing at a higher level.
Pakistan confident with three-formats, three-captains approach
Pakistan now has three different skippers across three formats of the game. Salman Ali Agha to lead in T20Is, Shan Masood to lead in Tests, and Shaheen Afridi to lead in the 50-over format. Shaheen Afridi pulls on the Captain's armband in the format he looked the best.
Last season, Shaheen Afridi was Pakistan's highest wicket-taker in ODIs and was crucial in their away victories against South Africa and Australia. Since the last World Cup, with all teams playing very ODIs due to multiple T20I commitments, Shaheen remains the highest wicket-taker in the game with 45 wickets since 2023.
Afridi's first assignment would probably be in the white-ball series against South Africa, which will start on the 4th of November at Faisalabad.
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