Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) abruptly sacked Mohammad Rizwan as ODI captain on October 20, 2025, replacing him with fiery pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi just weeks before a crucial three-match series against South Africa. The decision, announced via a terse PCB statement, has fueled wild speculation—from principled stands against gambling to clashes over faith in the dressing room—exposing deep rifts in a board notorious for its captaincy carousel.
Rizwan, the swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter who took the white-ball helm in October 2024 after Babar Azam's resignation, led Pakistan in 20 ODIs, clinching nine wins but stumbling with 11 losses. His tenure kicked off promisingly with series triumphs over Australia and South Africa, plus a morale-boosting Zimbabwe whitewash. Yet, cracks emerged during the disastrous 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, where Pakistan crashed out in Group A—finishing dead last behind India, New Zealand, and Bangladesh after back-to-back thrashings. The woes compounded with a humiliating 2-1 series defeat in the West Indies, Pakistan's first ODI loss there in 34 years, and a tri-series flop against New Zealand that left fans baying for blood.
But was performance the real culprit? PCB insiders whisper no. A bombshell report from the Times of India, citing PCB sources, pins the blame squarely on Rizwan's staunch refusal to endorse betting companies—despite the board's lucrative tie-ups with surrogate gambling firms rebranded as "fantasy sports" platforms. "Rizwan had informed the PCB that he wouldn’t endorse betting companies, which is the main reason behind his sacking," the source revealed, highlighting his devout Islamic convictions against gambling, forbidden under Sharia law. This stance reportedly clashed with PCB's revenue-hungry sponsorship deals, amid a financial crunch post the Champions Trophy debacle.
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The plot thickens with whispers of religious friction. PTI reports claim some board officials and players grew uneasy with Rizwan's "growing tendency to involve religion in cricket discussions," including organizing special sermons in team hotels and urging five daily prayers—moves teammate Imam-ul-Haq confirmed as routine. Ex-Pakistan star Rashid Latif amplified the controversy on his YouTube channel, slamming new white-ball coach Mike Hesson as the puppet-master. "Rizwan raised the Palestine flag, supported Gaza, and brought Islamic culture to the team—Hesson hated it. They want a non-Islamic captain in an Islamic country? Abysmal mindset!" Latif fumed, tying it to Rizwan's high-profile pro-Palestine gestures, like waving the Palestinian flag during a 2024 match and public pleas for aid amid the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Hesson's fingerprints are everywhere, despite his brief stint—appointed in May 2025 after the PSL, he's only coached one series under Rizwan, the ill-fated West Indies tour. Yet, his push for change, backed by selection committee heavyweights like high-performance director Aaqib Javed and advisory board vets Sarfaraz Ahmed and Misbah-ul-Haq, served as the "springboard," per insiders. The Islamabad meeting, attended by Hesson, sealed Shaheen's fate as the 32nd ODI skipper—a role he's eyed since his short, stormy T20I stints in 2023 and 2024, both ending in sackings after defeats.
This is PCB's third ODI captaincy swap in 12 months, capping a dizzying saga: Babar out in March 2024, Shaheen in briefly, Babar back, then resigned; Salman Agha as T20I boss in March 2025; now Shaheen's ODI encore. Fans on X erupted, dubbing PCB the "Pagal Cricket Board" and rallying behind Rizwan: "We back Rizwan for his bold decision against betting! PMO, act now!" tweeted poet AnamjemWAK, while analyst Muneeb Chaudhri lamented the "weird timing." Even ex-pacer Mohammad Amir voiced shock: "He led wins in Australia and South Africa—how after one bad series?"
As Shaheen gears up for the November 4-8 Faisalabad showdown—his first ODI lead since youth days—questions swirl: Will this steady the ship, or torpedo morale further? Rizwan, sidelined but still a batting linchpin (averaging 48+ in ODIs), could eye a Test captaincy push, but for now, Pakistan cricket's soap opera rolls on, blending faith, finance, and flops in a cauldron of controversy.
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