Pakistan ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi said that he only accepted the responsibility after predecessor Rizwan said that he would step down as skipper. “I took this responsibility from the Pakistan Cricket Board after discussing the matter with Rizwan,” Shaheen told the media on Monday.
“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,” said Shaheen.
Before his stint as the ODI skipper, Shaheen had a brief spell as Pakistan’s T20I captain after Babar Azam had resigned from the post after the Men in Green’s poor run in the 2023 World Cup. However, Shaheen was relieved of his captaincy after just one series vs New Zealand with Babar reinstated as skipper again.
Shaheen was given the ODI captaincy last month and he led Pakistan to a 2-1 series win against South Africa recently. Rizwan was appointed Pakistan’s white-ball captain on 27 October of last year and lead in 20 ODIs, winning 9 and losing 11. He failed to take Pakistan to the Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal and also lost a 3-match series to West Indies. He, however, lead Pakistan to ODI series win against Australia and South Africa.
Shaheen said Rizwan had assured him of full support. He added that as captain he would back Babar and Rizwan as they were key players in the side with lots of experience.
“I have no ego and I talk to everyone for advice, even our former captains. I don’t look at things that happened in the past. Everyone has to take responsibility if you want to improve as a team,” the 25-year-old said, adding, “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. 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.
(With agency inputs)
