The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday appointed left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi as captain of the national ODI men’s team ahead of the three-match home series against South Africa.
The announcement was made ahead of the ODI series against the Proteas, which will take place from November 4 to 8 at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.
In its statement, the PCB said Shaheen’s appointment for the upcoming series was finalized today after a meeting in Islamabad, which was attended by white-ball head coach Mike Hesson, Director High Performance Aqib Javed and members of the selection committee.
The 25-year-old fast bowler has represented Pakistan in 66 ODIs and 92 T20Is and has taken a total of 249 wickets. In 32 Tests, excluding the ongoing second Test against South Africa at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Shaheen has claimed 120 wickets.
Shaheen previously led Pakistan in five T20Is against New Zealand in their own backyard in 2024.
However, after their 4-1 defeat to the Blackcaps, Shaheen Shah Afridi was replaced in the role by star batsman Babar Azam, who led the side to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup last year.
For the unversed, Rizwan led Pakistan in 20 ODIs, registering nine wins and suffering 11 defeats, with a win percentage of 45.
The 33-year-old was appointed captain for both ODI and T20I on October 27 last year, ahead of Pakistan’s white-ball tours of Australia and Zimbabwe.
However, his tenure in the shortest format proved disappointing as Pakistan lost all four T20Is under his leadership.
Following the defeats, Rizwan was removed as captain for the T20I, and all-rounder Salman Ali Agha was tasked with leading the side in the shortest format ahead of the upcoming tour of New Zealand.
