Shaheen Shah Afridi revealed he became Pakistan’s ODI captain only after Mohammad Rizwan stepped down.”I accepted this role from the Pakistan Cricket Board only after speaking with Rizwan about it,” Shaheen said on Monday.

“I spoke only with Rizwan about taking on the captaincy and asked for his thoughts. He chose to step aside, and that’s how the decision came about,” Shaheen said.

Shaheen Shah Afridi was handed the T20I captaincy after Babar Azam stepped down following Pakistan’s disappointing 2023 World Cup campaign, but he was replaced by Babar less than six months later.
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“I have no ego and I talk to everyone for advice, even our former skipper. I don’t look at things that happened in the past,” he said.

“Every player needs to step up if we want to grow as a team,” the 25-year-old said. “We can’t always rely on Babar, Rizwan, or Fakhar, it has to be a collective effort where everyone takes responsibility.”

Shaheen noted that Rizwan had given him his complete support and insisted he will stand by Babar and Rizwan, who remain central figures in Pakistan’s lineup.

“Rizwan has been our most consistent performer in one-day cricket since 2023. We’re backing out-of-form players to help them regain confidence and deliver in future matches.”

“Babar might have a few quiet innings, but he’s striking the ball well, and I’m confident a century is on the horizon,” he said.