Mike Hesson’s letter to the PCB has put Mohammad Rizwan’s ODI captaincy in doubt, with Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Salman Ali Agha as frontrunners for the role.
Babar Azam has re-entered the race for Pakistan’s ODI captaincy after head coach Mike Hesson reportedly urged the PCB to review Mohammad Rizwan’s captaincy. Rizwan, who took charge in 2024, took Pakistan to series wins in Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. However, he came under scrutiny following a home tri-series loss to New Zealand, an early Champions Trophy exit and a defeat in the West Indies.
According to Geo News, the PCB is considering a leadership change with the 2027 ODI World Cup in mind. Hesson has written to chairman Mohsin Naqvi, seeking a joint meeting of the selection and advisory committees to finalise the new skipper ahead of the upcoming South Africa series.
Furthermore, the Pakistan Cricket Board’s selection and advisory committees are set to meet on October 20 to finalise the new ODI captain. Shaheen Afridi is reportedly leading the race to replace Mohammad Rizwan, with Babar Azam and T20I skipper Salman Ali Agha also in contention.
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Babar previously captained Pakistan across formats from 2019 to 2023 before stepping down after the 2023 ODI World Cup. He returned as T20I captain for the 2024 World Cup but resigned again, citing workload concerns. The upcoming meeting is expected to decide who will lead Pakistan in the ODI series against South Africa and beyond.
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