Pakistan white-ball head coach Mike Hesson has opened up about leaving out Mohammad Rizwan from the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia. The head coach also talked about removing the wicketkeeper batsman from the captaincy of the national cricket team in the 50 over format. last year in October.
Pakistan recently announced a 16-member squad led by Shaheen Afridi for the three-match ODI series against Australia. there will be a series Will start from 30th May Rawalpindi Cricket Stadiumwith the final match June 4th. Hesson spoke to reporters during a media interaction at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday.
We wanted to bring change – Mike Hesson on boycott of Mohammad Rizwan
mike hesson It was said that Mohammad Rizwan’s exclusion was not due to personal reasons. Pakistan’s head coach said that the management wanted to improve the team’s results after disappointing performances in ODI cricket and hence decided to make a change in leadership.
“By the time I arrived, Rizwan was not in the T20 team; he was certainly not the captain. So, he has not been playing T20 cricket since I joined,” Hesson told reporters.
“In terms of ODIs, yes, Mohammad Rizwan started as captain in the West Indies, and we felt we needed a change at the end of that series because we had won two games in 12 months. So, the team did not perform well.”
“Obviously, you look at two things: you look at the individual numbers, and you look at how you can maximize the team’s performance. So, we felt we wanted to make a change from a captaincy standpoint.”
Mohammad Rizwan Made his captaincy debut in late 2024 and led Pakistan to series wins against Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. In October 2025, Shaheen Afridi was made the ODI captain in his place.
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Mohammad Rizwan was still in that team – Mike Hesson
Mike Hesson said the selection of the current squad is part of Pakistan’s long-term planning for the next ICC tournament cycle. The head coach explained that the selectors want to test different combinations and assess new players ahead of the upcoming World Cup in 18 months.
“In terms of this series, you might have seen in the Bangladesh one-day series, we had made a number of changes to bring in some new players, and Mohammad Rizwan was still in that team. And coming into this series, we have made some other changes,” Hesson explained.
He further added, “Because we have the World Cup after 18 months, we need to look at the options we have from the perspective of working people and that is what the selection panel has decided.”
Head coach Mike Hesson talked about the decision to remove Mohammad Rizwan from Pakistan’s ODI captaincy. #TOKSports #mohammadrizwan #mikehesson pic.twitter.com/zlNpQEQnan
– TOK Sports (@TOKSports021) 25 may 2026
He has always served as vice-captain – Mike Hesson on Salman Ali Aga
Mike Hesson confirmed this salman ali aga Serving as vice-captain of Pakistan during recent international tours. The head coach said the role remains active within the team setup, even though no official public announcement has been made.
“Salman Ali Aga has been the vice-captain of the team for the last five tours. I am not aware of any new announcement in the media, but within the team he has always served as the vice-captain,” Hesson confirmed.
Head coach Mike Hesson said he was not sure about an official announcement, but confirmed that the team has Salman Ali Aga serving as the ODI vice-captain.#TOKSports #SalmanAliAgha #mikehesson pic.twitter.com/Fnht1CDxK3
– TOK Sports (@TOKSports021) 25 may 2026
Pakistan will enter the ODI series against Australia after a mixed performance in 50-over cricket, including the recent 2-1 series defeat against Bangladesh. Team management will now depend on senior players like Babar Azam in the coming times. series.
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