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LAHORE: Shaheen Shah Afridi has been appointed as Pakisan new ODI captain, replacing wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan following a leadership review by team management.
Shaheen will captain Pakistan in the three-match ODI series against South Africa, set to begin on November 4.
The decision to appoint Shaheen Shah Afridi was taken at a meeting held in Islamabad. The meeting was attended by head coach Mike Hesson, director of high performance Aqib Javed and members of the selection committee.
The move also came following Pakistan’s string of disappointing ODI performances this year.
The Men in Green failed to advance beyond the first round of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, before suffering a 3-0 whitewash at the hands of New Zealand and a 2-1 series defeat to the West Indies.
Meanwhile, Shaheen Afridi has enjoyed remarkable success as captain of the Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), leading them to three title wins.
Interestingly, this would not be Shaheen’s first stint as national captain. He previously led Pakistan in the T20I format but was replaced after just one series.
During Shaheen Afridi captaincy in January 2024, Pakistan lost five-match series 4-1 against Zealand.
The defeat resulted in captaincy change as he was replaced in the role by star batter Babar Azam, who led the side until the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 played in USA and West Indies.
Mohammad Rizwan, who was appointed Pakistan white-ball captain on October 27, 2024, delivered some impressive results during his breif tenure, including memorable ODI series wins in Australia and South Africa.
However, his tenure in the T20I format ended soon after Men in Green lost all four T20Is under his leadership.
Overall, Rizwan captained Pakistan in 20 ODIs, winning nine and losing 11, finishing with a winning percentage of 45.
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