Former teammate and notorious Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Amir has come out in support of captain Mohammad Rizwan and questioned his removal from the ODI captaincy despite extraordinary success in Australia and South Africa last season.
Pakistani players may not be disappointed with Shaheen Afridi being made the captain of Pakistan ODI team, but they are definitely disappointed with the ignoring of Mohammad Rizwan. Rizwan was given the white ball captaincy of Pakistan in 2024.
It is strongly believed that Pakistan’s new white-ball coach Mike Hesson did not agree with the selectors on retaining Rizwan as captain and the higher authorities later supported him on his decision at Monday’s selection committee meeting.
Mohammad Aamir raised questions on the removal of Mohammad Rizwan from ODI captaincy.
After Pakistan announced the appointment of fast bowler Shaheen Afridi as the new ODI captain, some former cricketers have been left surprised by the sudden move by the PCB. One such player is Pakistan’s former left arm fast bowler Mohammad Aamir.
Amir, who played many matches with former captain Mohammad Rizwan, has lauded his immense service to the Pakistan team and highlighted his remarkable career as Pakistan captain within just a year of his appointment.
Mohammad Amir said, “I don’t think Rizwan has been treated fairly. He led Pakistan to series wins in South Africa and Australia, which even some of our greatest captains could not achieve.”
However, the humiliating exit from the Champions Trophy could be a huge lesson for Mike Hesson to have more faith in captain Rizwan.
Muhammad Amir said, “I don’t think Rizwan has been treated fairly. He led Pakistan to series wins in South Africa and Australia, which even some of our greatest captains could not achieve.” pic.twitter.com/tIEe88jW0T
– Sherry. (@CallMeSheri1_) 21 October 2025
Under Rizwan, Pakistan won its second ODI series in Australia.
Referring to Rizwan’s success as Pakistan’s ODI captain, Mohammad Aamir noted that it was under Rizwan’s leadership that Pakistan achieved its first ODI bilateral series win in Australia since 2002.
This is the second time that Pakistan has been able to defeat the powerful Australian team in an ODI bilateral series on their soil. Before this, only once in the history of the game, Pakistan had achieved this feat for the first time in 2002 under the leadership of Waqar Younis.
Rizwan also led Pakistan to its first ever series clean sweep over South Africa on South African soil in the 2024/25 season. This is a big milestone for Rizwan as the captain of the national team.
Will Mohammad Rizwan retain his place in the Pakistan team after being removed from the captaincy?
After being removed from the captaincy, another big question arises whether Rizwan will be retained in the Pakistan team in white-ball cricket. The batsman is no longer part of the T20I squad, and with Hesson making his own strategy, his ODI spot has also come into doubt.
However, Mohammad Rizwan was the second-highest run-scorer for Pakistan in the ODI format last season and he regularly averaged around 42, which makes him worthy enough to continue playing in this format, but under new captain Shaheen Afridi.
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