Rizwan was appointed to the role last year.
Pakistan might have a new captain for the upcoming ODI series against South Africa, with Mohammad Rizwan set to lose his captaincy. A statement released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) revealed that Mike Hesson called for a meeting of the selection committee to finalise the ODI captain, with no mention of the current skipper.
Rizwan was appointed to the role last year and performed well by leading Pakistan to series wins in Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. However, the team endured a disappointing 2025, suffering a tri-series final defeat to New Zealand, an early exit from the Champions Trophy 2025 at home, and a disastrous away tour of the West Indies.
The PCB has often opted for quick results and made numerous changes in the leadership group in recent years, including sacking Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi at various stages. The management might be unhappy with Pakistan’s performance at home earlier this year in ODIs.
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They will have an eye on the World Cup 2027 and look for continuity as they begin preparing for it with the South Africa series next month. If this is indeed Rizwan’s end as a captain, he will finish with nine wins and 11 defeats at a win-loss ratio of 0.810.
At this moment, Pakistan’s options are limited because they have already tried and removed a few main players of the team. Considering they won’t revert to Babar Azam, it’s hard to find a suitable candidate for the position.
Below are three possible options to take over the captaincy duties from Rizwan.
An unlikely choice at this stage, but Pakistan’s best candidate for the role is Shaheen Afridi. He is among the few permanent members in the setup and understands how the captaincy works.
However, it will take a lot of convincing, given how unfairly he was treated during his stint in T20Is. Shaheen has just found his bowling rhythm again, and it will be interesting to see whether he takes such a tricky responsibility.
Salman Agha is already the captain of the T20I side, and Pakistan can give him the added responsibility. He has performed well as a batter in the format and is suited for ODIs, where he gets to play his natural game.
Obviously, his captaincy calls have been surprising at times, but he still brings some previous experience, unlike most other players in the side. Salman has worked closely with Hesson, and his appointment will indicate continuity in the team.
It’s hard for a new player to captain Pakistan, but Saud Shakeel can be one of the options if they want a change from familiar faces. However, Shakeel doesn’t boast a good ODI record, as his average of 27.20 in 16 innings shows.
Still, he brings ample experience as a player and led Quetta Gladiators to the final in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) this year. Pakistan have often shown recency bias and can introduce Shakeel at the helm based on his PSL success.
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