Islamabad: In a major decision, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has removed Mohammad Rizwan from the captaincy of the ODI team. Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has been appointed as his replacement. With this change, Pakistan cricket will now have different captains for all three formats Shan Masood in Tests, Salman Agha in T20s, and Shaheen Afridi in ODIs.
Different Captains for All Three Formats
Shaheen Afridi was previously the captain of the T20 team and has now been assigned the responsibility of the ODI team. This will be the first time Afridi will lead the Pakistan team in the ODI format. His captaincy will begin with the three-match home ODI series against South Africa in Faisalabad next month.
Shaheen Shah Afridi replaces Mohammad Rizwan as ODI captain – set to take charge in the upcoming home series against South Africa pic.twitter.com/jwV8spSRzn
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) October 20, 2025
Rizwan’s Captaincy Has Been Questioned.
Mohammad Rizwan was appointed ODI captain after Babar Azam, who was removed from the position following the team’s poor performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup. However, Rizwan was unable to return the team to winning ways. Under his captaincy, Pakistan failed to reach the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and subsequently lost the ODI series against the West Indies. Furthermore, they lost to New Zealand in the final of the tri-series.
Due to continued disappointing results, the PCB decided to change the captaincy, removing Rizwan and assigning Shaheen Afridi the new responsibility.
Announcement Made During Test Match
The PCB made this major announcement while Pakistan was playing a home Test series against South Africa. Pakistan won the first Test, while on the day of the second Test, the PCB issued a press release announcing Afridi as the ODI captain.
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The Next Big Test for Afridi
All eyes are now on Shaheen Afridi, who is about to play his first ODI series as captain. It will be interesting to see if he can effectively handle both bowling and captaincy roles. This three-match series will be the first true test of Afridi’s leadership skills.