'Mohammad Rizwan was not a bad ODI captain' — Mohammad Amir says Pakistan wicketkeeper's captaincy sacking was unfair – sportingnews.com

Mayank Bande
(getty)
Mohammad Rizwan's sacking from ODI captaincy has added another episode to the endless drama surrounding Pakistan cricket. Shaheen Afridi was named the new captain for the Men in Green in the 50-over format.
This is the seventh white-ball captaincy change in Pakistan since the end of the World Cup 2023 in India, where the likes of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi and Salman Agha have been involved.
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Rizwan’s removal as captain comes after two away series wins in Australia and South Africa in the last 12 months, raising questions over the decision.
Former bowler Mohammad Amir, who felt the decision was unfair to Rizwan, was among the experts who expressed displeasure over the skipper change.
During Rizwan’s short tenure as ODI captain, Pakistan won nine of the 20 matches. The decision to replace the 33-year-old with Shaheen comes after Pakistan’s group stage exit in the ICC Champions Trophy, a clean sweep loss in New Zealand and a 1-2 series loss in the West Indies.
Amir, who last played for Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2024, took to his Twitter (X) and blamed the entire Pakistan cricket’s ecosystem for being impatient with players and captains.
“Captaincy should not depend on just one good or bad series. We are all responsible for this, former cricketers and analysts included. We don’t allow stability in our cricket. Captains are not made overnight; it takes two or three years to build one,” said Amir.
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“But here [in Pakistan], one bad series is enough to replace a captain. I don’t think this is the right call. Rizwan is a smart captain and has that knack for leadership,” he added.
Moving ahead, the left-arm pacer who briefly led Pakistan in T20Is in January 2024 will lead them in the South Africa series from November 4.
Notably, Salman Agha’s position as the T20I skipper is also under the scanner after the disappointing performance in the Asia Cup.
Shaheen is once again a candidate to take over in the shortest format as well. He is currently the most successful skipper in PSL history, having won the tournament for the third time as captain with the Lahore Qalandars.
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Mayank Bande has been a content producer at The Sporting News since 2023 and has extensive experience in cricket writing. His work has previously appeared on platforms like OneCricket and Last Word on Sports. Beyond cricket, Mayank closely follows football as an FC Barcelona supporter, along with tennis and Olympic sports. Despite holding a degree in Business Administration, he chose to pursue a career in sports, bringing sharp analysis to his writing as someone who once played cricket.

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