Shaheen Shah Afridi has revealed that he was named Pakistan’s ODI captain only after Mohammad Rizwan decided to step down from the role. Rizwan, who led Pakistan to ODI series wins against South Africa and Australia last year, faced heavy criticism after the team’s early exit from the Champions Trophy earlier this year.
Shaheen was subsequently named captain ahead of the home series against South Africa. Temper said he accepted the position from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after discussions with Rizwan.
“I have taken this responsibility from the Pakistan Cricket Board after discussing the matter with Rizwan,” Rizwan told reporters before the start of the ODI against Sri Lanka.
“Rizwan was the only person I spoke to and I asked him how he thought I had accepted the captaincy. Rizwan himself decided to make room for me and that’s how things went,” added Rizwan.
TRYING TO GET THE PLAYER BACK
Shaheen stepped into the role of T20I captain after Babar Azam stepped down following Pakistan’s disappointing ODI World Cup campaign in 2023. But his tenure proved to be short-lived – lasting less than six months – before the selectors decided to re-appoint Babar as captain.
During his tenure, the left-armer led Pakistan in just one assignment, the five-match T20I series in New Zealand. Despite the short period, Shaheen maintained a positive outlook and said that Mohammad Rizwan had promised him full support. He also emphasized that as captain, he will continue to support both Babar and Rizwan, describing them as the backbone of the team and vital to Pakistan’s success.
“Everyone has to take responsibility if you want to improve as a team. You can’t keep saying Babar, Rizwan or Fakhar will do it, as a team we have to click and take responsibility.”
“As for Rizwan, he is Pakistan’s highest run-scorer in one-dayers since 2023. We are trying to support out-of-form players to do well in future matches,” added Shaheen.
Behind Shaheen, Pakistan recently wrote history after beat South Africa for the first time in a home ODI series.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
November 11, 2025
