Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir has strongly criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision to replace Mohammad Rizwan with Shaheen Shah Afridi as the ODI captain.
Reacting to the announcement, Amir questioned both the timing and fairness of the move. “Just heard that Shaheen Afridi has been named as the ODI captain. Whether that is right or wrong, I will let you decide. But in my opinion, this was not fair to Rizwan,” he said.
Amir defended Rizwan’s record as captain, pointing to notable overseas series wins. “Rizwan has not been a bad captain in ODIs. You could say he lost a series in the West Indies, but he also won in Australia and South Africa. Even some of the biggest captains have not managed that,” he said. “I think they have rushed into giving Shaheen the captaincy.”
Afridi’s appointment as Pakistan’s 32nd ODI captain comes despite a poor run as T20 skipper earlier in the year. Amir argued that the PCB should have taken a more measured approach instead of removing Rizwan outright.
“Rizwan is a sensible captain who understands the game. They could have made Shaheen vice-captain, observed his form and performance, and then made a decision,” Amir added. “Removing Rizwan from the role was not the right call.”
