Shaheen Shah Afridi: Pakistan cricket board changes captain once again due to this shocking reason

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday named Shaheen Shah Afridi as the new captain of Pakistan’s men’s ODI team, replacing wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan. The change comes ahead of Pakistan’s three-match ODI series against South Africa, scheduled at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad from November 4 to 8. According to TimesofIndia.com, Rizwan’s removal was linked to his stand against promoting betting companies, a position that reportedly clashed with the board’s commercial arrangements.

Rizwan’s stand on betting promotions led to his exit

"Rizwan had informed the PCB that he wouldn’t endorse betting companies, which is the main reason behind his sacking. He was against the PCB’s collaboration with surrogate betting firms," a PCB source tracking the development told TimesofIndia.com.

The conflict reportedly began earlier this year when Rizwan, while playing for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), refused to wear a jersey displaying the logo of a betting sponsor. He chose to play without the main sponsor’s branding, which belonged to a betting website.


His consistent opposition to betting-related endorsements is said to have created friction with PCB officials, leading to the board’s decision to replace him with Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Reaction from former cricketers

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif suggested that Rizwan’s outspoken views on Palestine might also have influenced the board’s move.

"If he has spoken about Palestine, will you remove him from captaincy?" Latif said on his YouTube channel Caught Behind.

"This mindset that there would be non-Islamic captains in an Islamic country is abysmal," he added.

Shaheen’s appointment and upcoming series

Shaheen’s appointment was finalised after a meeting in Islamabad attended by white-ball head coach Mike Hesson, Director High Performance Aqib Javed, and members of the selection committee. He will now lead Pakistan in the ODI series against South Africa starting November 4.

Frequent changes in Pakistan’s captaincy

Pakistan cricket has experienced multiple captaincy changes across formats since 2023 under different PCB administrations.

The cycle began on March 13, 2023, when Shadab Khan captained the T20I series against Afghanistan in Sharjah. Later, on November 15, 2023, Babar Azam stepped down as captain in all formats. Under Zaka Ashraf’s leadership, Shaheen Afridi became T20I captain and Shan Masood took over the Test team.

In March 2024, new PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi removed Shaheen from white-ball captaincy, reinstating Babar Azam for the 2024 T20 World Cup. But Babar resigned again in October 2024, after which Mohammad Rizwan was appointed white-ball captain.

The reshuffling continued in March 2025 when Salman Ali Agha became T20I captain. On October 20, 2025, Shaheen Afridi was brought back as ODI captain under Naqvi’s administration.

Mohammad Rizwan’s removal as Pakistan’s ODI captain appears to have stemmed from his refusal to align with the PCB’s sponsorship ties to betting companies. His personal stance on ethical endorsements has reignited debate over commercial influence in cricket. With Shaheen Shah Afridi taking charge again, the PCB looks to stabilise leadership amid ongoing shifts in Pakistan’s captaincy structure.