The Pakistan Cricket Board named left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi as its new ODI captain on Monday, October 20, 2025. Afridi will captain Pakistan in their three-match home series against South Africa in Faisalabad from November 4–8, taking Mohammad Rizwan's position. The reason behind Rizwan's dismissal as captain was not disclosed by the cricket body. The PCB said in a statement that members of the selection committee, director of high performance Aqib Javed, and Pakistan's white-ball head coach Mike Hesson met to formalise Afridi's appointment. Hesson had convened the meeting last Saturday in order to reach a definitive decision over the ODI captaincy. Rizwan's PerformanceAfter being named captain last year, Rizwan defeated South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Australia in three straight away ODI series. However, Pakistan's performance suffered this year after they lost 2-1 in the West Indies, lost the home tri-series final to New Zealand, and were eliminated early from the Champions Trophy. With 361 runs this year, Rizwan is Pakistan's second-highest run scorer in ODIs. In 66 ODIs, Afridi has claimed 131 wickets. Following Pakistan's 4-1 defeat in New Zealand during his first series as captain last year, he was relieved of his T20 captaincy. Afridi To Be Appointed As T20I Captain As Well?Shaheen last led Pakistan in a five-match home series against New Zealand that finished in a 2-2 draw in early 2024. However, he was removed from captaincy prior to the T20 World Cup 2024. This time around, he would like to make the most of this opportunity and would be hopeful to stay in the role till the ODI World Cup in 2027. Salman Agha faced a lot of scrutiny following an embarrassing outing in the recently concluded Asia Cup 2025, where India hammered the Men in Green on three different occasions, including the clash in the finals. There is a big chance that Afridi takes over the T20I captaincy as well.
PCB Sacks Mohammad Rizwan As ODI Captain, Appoints This Superstar Player In Captaincy Role Again
The Pakistan Cricket Board named left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi as its new ODI captain on Monday, October 20, 2025. Afridi will captain Pakistan in their three-match home series against South Africa in Faisalabad from November 4–8, taking Mohammad Rizwan's position. The reason behind Rizwan's dismissal as captain was not disclosed by the cricket body. The PCB said in a statement that members of the selection committee, director of high performance Aqib Javed, and Pakistan's white-ball head coach Mike Hesson met to formalise Afridi's appointment. Hesson had convened the meeting last Saturday in order to reach a definitive decision over the ODI captaincy. Rizwan's PerformanceAfter being named captain last year, Rizwan defeated South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Australia in three straight away ODI series. However, Pakistan's performance suffered this year after they lost 2-1 in the West Indies, lost the home tri-series final to New Zealand, and were eliminated early from the Champions Trophy. With 361 runs this year, Rizwan is Pakistan's second-highest run scorer in ODIs. In 66 ODIs, Afridi has claimed 131 wickets. Following Pakistan's 4-1 defeat in New Zealand during his first series as captain last year, he was relieved of his T20 captaincy. Afridi To Be Appointed As T20I Captain As Well?Shaheen last led Pakistan in a five-match home series against New Zealand that finished in a 2-2 draw in early 2024. However, he was removed from captaincy prior to the T20 World Cup 2024. This time around, he would like to make the most of this opportunity and would be hopeful to stay in the role till the ODI World Cup in 2027. Salman Agha faced a lot of scrutiny following an embarrassing outing in the recently concluded Asia Cup 2025, where India hammered the Men in Green on three different occasions, including the clash in the finals. There is a big chance that Afridi takes over the T20I captaincy as well.
