Former Pakistan One-day International captain Mohammad Rizwan voluntarily decided to take a step back and let Shaheen Shah Afridi take charge as his successor when the country’s cricket board was mulling the decision, the latter revealed on Monday.
Shaheen was appointed in the role last month in what seemed like an abrupt development with Rizwan being stripped off captaincy despite spending only five ODI series and an ICC Champions Trophy campaign in charge.
While the wicket-keeper-batter had a disastrous show at the Champions Trophy, he led Pakistan to series wins in Australia and South Africa last year and against the West Indies this year.
According to multiple media reports, Rizwan was at loggerheads with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) when he was removed as captain – reportedly turning down the central contract.
Shaheen, however, seems to have cleared the air, stating in the press conference on the eve of Pakistan’s three-match ODI series opener against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi, that he had a discussion with his predecessor prior to his appointment as skipper.
“Rizwan was the only person [from the team] I had a discussion with when I was about to be appointed as captain,” said the Pakistan pace spearhead. “I asked him how he felt and what he wanted.
“Rizwan is a good human and he decided himself to stake a step back and let me replace him, and that was how the decision was taken.”
Shaheen had been in Rizwan’s position himself when he had replaced Babar Azam as Pakistan’s T20I skipper back in 2024 before being placed by the latter after just one series in charge.
The pacer, who lead Pakistan to the national side’s first-ever ODI series victory over South Africa at home last week, said the past did not spill into his decisions in the present and that he took advice from all his team-mates as captain.
“I talk to everyone for advice and I am not too egoistic to not talk to the ex captains because of things that happened in the past,” he said.
Moreover, Shaheen was not reluctant to back both Babar and Rizwan amid their recent struggles in white-ball cricket, observing that responsibility was for every player to take and not only for the established pros.
“Everyone has to take responsibility if you want to improve as a team,” the 25-year-old, who managed three wickets at an average of 38 in his first series as captain. “It’s not just for Rizwan, Babar, Fakhar [Zaman], Shaheen, Saim [Ayub] to ensure this. The first and the last, all players should 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. If you get hopeless about such players it will bring in worse results. We have to go into matches as a unit and win them as a unit.”
Babar, too, despite getting starts, failed to come up to the fans’ expectations, scoring only 45 runs across the three matches against the Proteas. Shaheen believed the right-hander would bounce back with a big performance in the near future.
“Babar can falter in one or two matches but he is in good touch and I hope he will score a hundred soon,” he said.
While no guarantees have been assured to Shaheen at least publicly by the PCB about the longevity of his stint as the skipper, the left-armer is looking forward to the 2027 ODI World Cup — which will be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
“My job as captain is to ensure how to improve our one-day cricket and how to take my fellow players forward,” he said.
After winning his first assignment as captain against a depleted South African team, Shaheen and his subordinates are gearing up to take on a much stronger Sri Lanka side, who are expected to flourish on the slower surfaces in Rawalpindi — where all the three ODIs are to be contested from Tuesday.
The bowler said he preferred to play an important role in selection matters amid lack of clarity over who essentially picks the Pakistan squads.
“The captain, I believe, should be involved in selection matters because after all he is the one who is going to lead the XI,” Shaheen noted. “Obviously the selectors pick the squads but the captain should be involved. And if it is in the captain’s knowledge, the team would be better and would fight harder.
“My job as captain is to ensure how to improve our one-day cricket and how to take my fellow players forward.
