Shaheen Shah Afridi revealed that he was appointed Pakistan’s ODI captain only after Mohammad Rizwan chose to step down from the role. Rizwan, who had led Pakistan to ODI series wins against South Africa and Australia last year, faced heavy criticism following 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. The pacer said he accepted the position from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after holding discussions with Rizwan.
“I took this responsibility from the Pakistan Cricket Board after discussing the matter with Rizwan,” Rizwan told the reporters before the opening ODI against Sri Lanka.
“Rizwan was the only person I had a discussion with, and I asked him how he felt about me accepting the captaincy. Rizwan decided himself he would make way for me and that is how things worked out,” Rizwan added.
TRYING TO BACK PLAYERS
Shaheen had stepped into the T20I captaincy role after Babar Azam stepped down following Pakistan’s disappointing 2023 ODI World Cup campaign. But his stint turned out to be short-lived — lasting less than six months — before the selectors decided to reappoint Babar as skipper.
During his tenure, the left-arm quick led Pakistan in just one assignment, a five-match T20I series in New Zealand. Despite the brief spell, Shaheen maintained a positive outlook, saying that Mohammad Rizwan had promised him full support. He also emphasized that, as captain, he would continue to back both Babar and Rizwan, describing them as the team’s backbone and vital to Pakistan’s success.
“Everyone has to take responsibility if you want to improve as a team. You can’t keep on saying Babar, Rizwan or Fakhar will do it, it is as a team we have to click and take responsibility.
“As far as Rizwan is concerned, he is Pakistan’s top-scorer in one-dayers since 2023. We are trying to back players who are not in form so that they can do well in future matches,” Shaheen added.
Under Shaheen, Pakistan recently scripted history after beating South Africa for the first time in a home ODI series.
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