Revealed: Why Mohammad Rizwan was sacked as Pakistan ODI captain by PCB

Shaheen Afridi replaced Mohammad Rizwan as the ODI captain of Pakistan.

October 21, 2025, saw the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sacking Mohammad Rizwan as the Pakistan team ODI captain and naming Shaheen Afridi as the new captain. The left-arm fast bowler will begin his captaincy stint in the three-match ODI series against South Africa from November 4 to 8.

This will be the second time Shaheen Afridi will captain Pakistan. He had earlier captained Pakistan in T20Is in 2024 on the tour of New Zealand. But, Pakistan lost the series 4-1, and he was sacked ahead of ICC T20 World Cup 2024, with Babar Azam replacing him.

The decision to make Afridi captain was made during a meeting with white-ball coach Mike Hesson, Director of High-Performance Aqib Javed, and members of the selection committee.

Rizwan, on the other hand, has captained Pakistan in 20 ODIs, beginning with a 2-1 victory over Australia in his first assignment and culminating in a memorable 3-0 win over South Africa in December 2024. However, following a disappointing performance in the ICC Champions Trophy, in which they were eliminated after two games, Pakistan decided to remove Rizwan from ODI captaincy.

Mohammad Rizwan’s refusal to endorse betting companies led to PCB sacking him as ODI captain

The announcement occurred during the ongoing Pakistan against South Africa test series in Rawalpindi, where Rizwan and Afridi were both members of the playing XI.

The decision represents Pakistan’s third skipper change in 50-over cricket in the previous year, highlighting the national team’s ongoing turmoil.

However, an insider of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has revealed the real reason for Mohammad Rizwan’s sacking. The source explained that Rizwan had informed the board that he wouldn’t endorse the betting companies the board was in talks with for sponsorships.

“Rizwan had informed the PCB that he wouldn’t endorse betting companies, which is the main reason behind his sacking. He was against the PCB’s collaboration with surrogate betting firms,” a PCB source tracking the development told the Times of India.

Earlier this year, while playing for the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Rizwan refused to wear and endorse the image of a betting company. He played in a jersey without the main sponsor’s logo, which belonged to a betting site.  

According to former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif, Rizwan’s views against Palestine could also be a reason for his departure.

“If he has spoken about Palestine, will you remove him from the captaincy? This mindset that there would be non-Islamic captains in an Islamic country is abysmal,” Latif said on his YouTube channel.

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