Pakistan’s decision to appoint Shaheen Shah Afridi as ODI captain signals a strategic shift toward rebuilding for the 2027 World Cup, blending youth, aggression, and experience.
Backed by his successful Pakistan Super League record and growing leadership credentials, Shaheen now carries the responsibility of shaping Pakistan’s next generation of cricketers while maintaining consistency across all formats.
It will shape the squad under an aggressive and youthful leader. Shaheen’s experience as captain of the Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League stands him in good stead.
He led the franchise to back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023, before clinching a third championship earlier this year.
Shaheen is usually the first name on the team sheet. With his commanding on-field performances, he has been the spearhead of Pakistan’s attack across all three formats.
However, there is always an element of concern when appointing a fast bowler as captain — he may not be available for every match due to the need for rest and rotation.
This is precisely why India refrained from appointing the aggressive Hardik Pandya as their white-ball skipper, opting instead for the calmer and fitter Shubman Gill.
But this doesn’t mean a fast bowler cannot be a captain. Pat Cummins has led Australia in Tests as well as in ODIs, having been rested in smaller and less important series.
It is now Shaheen’s responsibility to keep himself fit to feature in most of the matches. His appointment, if successful, hints that he could go as long as the 2027 World Cup that South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia will co-host.
He may also get the T20I captaincy if results do not go well with Salman Agha at the helm. Despite calls for his removal, Agha survived as T20I skipper only because Pakistan won the tri-series in Sharjah and finished runners-up in the Asia Cup.
However, Agha’s own performance with the bat and his tendency to hide himself as a bowler came under scrutiny. Yet, his rapport with the white-ball head coach Mike Hesson has given him a lease of life.
Mohammad Rizwan’s lack of communication with Hesson brought about his downfall as ODI skipper. Rizwan had earlier faced problems with interim white-ball head coach Aqib Javed during the South Africa, Zimbabwe, and New Zealand tours.
However, the PCB’s decision to sack him midway through the second Test against South Africa was not an apt one. A decision should have been taken ahead of the series or immediately after the Test match.
There was no mention of any reason why Rizwan was removed, nor were his early successes as captain acknowledged. After all, Rizwan led Pakistan to a series win in Australia – Pakistan’s first Down Under in 22 years.
Pakistan also handed South Africa their first-ever 3-0 clean sweep in a one-day series. Rizwan’s contribution should have been recognized. We also never got to know why and how a team that upstaged Australia in Australia and then routed the Proteas slid so badly.
With the appointment of Shaheen, Pakistan now has three separate captains in as many formats – not a viable arrangement under Pakistan’s cricketing culture.
The players have to deal with different captains and vice versa, which doesn’t help communication. The first step should be to have two captains – one for red-ball cricket and one for the two white-ball formats.
This will ease the communication problem. It is very likely that if Salman Agha does not perform and the Pakistan team fails to achieve good results in the coming World Cup, then Shaheen will take over as T20I captain as well.
It is now up to Shaheen to assert his authority, not only on the players but also on the management and selection committee. There are reports that Rizwan may be removed from the team altogether.
If that happens, Shaheen should resist it, as Rizwan remains one of the main contributors in terms of runs. A good captain knows his best players and must back them.
If Shaheen fails to do that, he will not do justice to his job, nor will he achieve good results with a compromising approach.
Pakistan lost all three matches to India in the Asia Cup. That brought the tally to eight international matches without a win against their bitter rivals. Pakistan has not beaten India in the ICC Under-19 World Cup since 2010, and the signs look ominous ahead of the 2026 Junior World Cup in Zimbabwe and Namibia.
We have yet to announce a squad or even decide on a head coach. Pakistan’s last Under-19 World Cup triumph came in 2006. The notion that we lack talent is misplaced.
The current regime of the PCB has arranged several matches that will help players groom themselves. We need to nurture talent from the Under-19 tournament, recently won by Lahore.
International cricket is moving very fast. Smaller nations are making progress by leaps and bounds. Japan and Tanzania will play in the Under-19 World Cup for the first time, while Italy has qualified for the Twenty20 World Cup.
Pakistan must keep pace with development, or else we will continue to lag behind.
