Pakistan appoints quick bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi as its new ODI captain

The Pakistan Cricket Board appointed left-arm quick bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi as its new ODI captain on Monday (October 20, 2025).

Afridi replaces Mohammad Rizwan and can lead Pakistan in subsequent month’s three-match residence sequence towards South Africa in Faisalabad from Nov. 4-8. The cricket board didn’t say why Rizwan was faraway from the captaincy.

The PCB mentioned in a press release that Afridi’s appointment was finalized in a gathering attended by Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Mike Hesson, director of excessive efficiency Aqib Javed and members of the choice committee.

Last Saturday, Hesson had known as for the assembly to make a closing determination on the ODI captaincy.

Rizwan gained three successive away ODI sequence towards Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa after he was appointed captain final yr. However, there was dip in outcomes this yr after Pakistan misplaced the house tri-series closing to New Zealand, made an early exit from the Champions Trophy and in addition misplaced 2-1 within the West Indies.

Rizwan has been Pakistan’s second highest run-scorer in ODIs this yr with 361 runs. Afridi has taken 131 wickets in 66 ODIs. He was faraway from the T20 captaincy after Pakistan suffered a 4-1 loss in New Zealand final yr in his debut sequence as skipper.