• Home
  • Who Said What
  • Amir Slams Pcb For Rizwans Sacking As Shaheen Afridi Becomes Pakistans Odi Captain

Amir slams PCB for Rizwan's sacking as Shaheen Afridi becomes Pakistan's ODI captain

Debashis Sarangi

Amir reacts to Shaheen's appointment as ODI captain [Source: AFP, @mufaddal_vohra/X]Amir reacts to Shaheen's appointment as ODI captain [Source: AFP, @mufaddal_vohra/X]

Pakistan's former fast bowler Mohammad Amir believes Mohammad Rizwan's sacking as the ODI captain is absolutely unfair. The Pakistan Cricket Board, on Monday, removed Rizwan and named ace speedster Shaheen Afridi as the new ODI captain. Amir reckons Rizwan, being an astute tactician, deserved a long rope, while Shaheen must've been made the vice-captain in the first place if the PCB wanted to assess his leadership potential. 

Amir thinks Rizwan's captaincy snub is unfair

Mohammad Rizwan had an outstanding start to his ODI captaincy stint, leading Pakistan to historic away series wins against Australia and South Africa. However, Pakistan's group-stage exit from the Champions Trophy and shocking series defeats to New Zealand and the West Indies made the PCB reactionary, with the board replacing him with Shaheen as the new skipper. 

Amir feels Rizwan did a commendable job by securing series wins in the tough overseas conditions, and the PCB shouldn't have doubted his leadership qualities based on one bad series. 

“I don’t think Mohammad Rizwan has been treated fairly. Rizwan was not a bad one-day captain. He led Pakistan to series wins in South Africa and Australia — something even some of our biggest captains couldn’t achieve. We should not have forgotten that," Amir was quoted as saying by Geo Super. 

Amir explains why frequent changes in leadership is harmful for Pakistan cricket

The veteran cricketer also highlighted how the Pakistani cricket ecosystem's knack for playing musical chairs with white-ball captaincy is destabilising the team structure and affecting the team's overall performance. 

“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 to three years to build one. But here, 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.” 

Speaking further, Amir concluded that if the PCB wanted to introduce Shaheen Afridi to the leadership group, it should've made him the vice-captain for the upcoming South Africa series. 

“If Shaheen had to be made captain, he could have first been appointed as vice-captain and his performance judged accordingly — especially considering his fitness,” Amir said. 

Interestingly, Shaheen Afridi has limited experience in leading in ODI cricket, although he has served as the captain of Pakistan and Lahore Qalandars in the shortest format. So, while the fast bowler may find it challenging to lead in ODIs, he has ample time in his hands and can build the team for the 2027 World Cup, only if the PCB gives him a consistent rope in the role.