Shaheen Afridi Takes Over as Pakistan’s ODI Captain

The reins of Pakistan’s One Day International cricket team have been handed over to dynamic fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, who replaces Mohammad Rizwan as captain. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officially declared this significant appointment on Monday, the same day the Test match against South Africa commenced in Rawalpindi. This crucial decision was cemented in a meeting in Islamabad involving head coach Mike Hesson, Director of High Performance Aqib Javed, and the national selection panel. Shaheen Afridi’s inaugural captaincy stint in the 50-over format will be against South Africa in a three-game ODI series starting November 4th. Afridi, who debuted in ODIs in 2018, has emerged as a leading pacer, claiming 131 wickets in 66 matches at an impressive 24.28 average. He also led the T20I side earlier this year in a series against New Zealand. The move away from Rizwan as captain was signaled by a recent PCB statement that notably omitted confirming his captaincy for the upcoming white-ball fixtures, suggesting a thorough evaluation. Despite Rizwan’s solid batting performance, averaging close to 42 and contributing significantly to the team’s run-scoring, and his success in leading Pakistan to series wins in Australia and South Africa in 2024, the team’s recent struggles, including a poor showing at the Champions Trophy, have led to this captaincy change.