Mohammad Rizwan sacked! Shaheen Afridi appointed as new ODI captain of Pakistan

Shaheen Afridi will serve his second stint as the captain of Pakistan Cricket Team.

In what has been a big development, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has sacked Mohammad Rizwan as the ODI captain, replacing him with Shaheen Afridi. The development was confirmed by the governing body on the first day of the ongoing second test between Pakistan and South Africa.

The PCB didn’t mention any particular reason behind Mohammad Rizwan’s sacking but the decision surely was taken based on his poor performances in ODIs as a captain this year. The reports in ESPNCricinfo claimed that the decision was taken after a meeting in Islamabad between the selection committee and the white-ball head coach Mike Hesson.

The talks related to Rizwan’s sacking have been all over the news for the last few days. It got even more ignited when the PCB recently released a statement, where they declined to name him the captain ahead of the white-ball leg of the South Africa tour.

Shaheen Afridi had backing at the highest level of the PCB’s decision-making process

Head coach Mike Hesson recently asked the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi to convene a meeting with the selection and advisory committee to appoint a new captain. The reports added that Shaheen Afridi had a backing at the highest level of the PCB’s decision-making process.

This will be his second stint as the Pakistan captain, having led the team earlier against New Zealand in January 2024, when his team suffered a 4-1 loss. After one series, he was removed as the captain.

Shaheen Afridi will take over the captaincy of the team from the upcoming series against South Africa. He has been in great form in this format, having been the leading wicket-taker last year in the ODIs. Since ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, no fast bowler other than him has taken 45 wickets in the format. 

Afridi would be eager to make a strong comeback as the captain of Pakistan captain. It remains to be seen how he will fare in his first series as the ODI skipper. 

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