Leadership change? Mohammad Rizwan likely to replace Babar Azam as Pakistan's ODI, T20I captain

The Pakistani cricket team exhibited the worst performance in the 2025 Champions Trophy which was hosted in Pakistan. The team received elimination during the first five days of competition in a tournament that took place in Pakistan. Following an embarrassing tournament departure former Pakistani cricketers have kept up their public criticism of captain Mohammad Rizwan. The cricket leadership of Mohammad Rizwan receives harsh criticism from Ahmed Shehzad who highlights multiple leadership errors made by Rizwan. According to him Rizwan would have shown outstanding leadership abilities as team captain.

Pakistan and England Face Similar Fate

The tournament finished in the same way for Pakistan as for England. During the competition Pakistan lost two of its matches and its last group-stage fixture wasCanceled because of heavy rainfall. Throughout the group stage England suffered losses in every game of its competition. England Captain Jos Buttler made public in advance of the South Africa match that Saturday would be his final game leading the national team. After Rizwan's exit an intense discussion started about which captaincy was inferior between him and Jos Buttler. Ahmed Shehzad strongly condemned Rizwan as captain of the Pakistani team during his interview.

Shehzad Lashes Out at Rizwan’s Captaincy

During their appearance on Harna Mana Hai the cricket players Mohammad Amir together with Ahmed Shehzad and Rashid Latif made an appearance. Shehzad expressed his opinion about the captaincy during the show by stating that Buttler won an ICC title in 2022 while Rizwan failed to achieve any victories. She decided to resign after his team lost two ICC tournaments and failed to develop his playing roster. Rizwan received six months in his position yet he allocated them in an unproductive manner. A more advantageous use of those six months was possible.

Pakistan cricket team had only single opener

Shehzad Ahmed mentioned the players spent five to six months with the team yet were replaced by new players at the final moment in the South African series while Australia played ODIs. The Pakistan cricket team had only a single opener named Fakhar Zaman because of his recent injury recovery. As a tournament approached Pakistan had one available opener yet standard teams included three or more players for that position. Already playing five to six months within the team Faheem Ashraf received his call-up during the final minutes. During the Asian cricket tour Pakistan fielded one specialist spinner Abrar Ahmed while almost all other teams featured two professional spinners backed by a single extra turning performer. During ODI matches both Khushdil Shah and Salman Ali Agha dedicated their bowler duties to a total of ten overs. Shehzad criticized Rizwan for inadequate use of all the team members he had picked. The captain should have managed these aspects better yet he failed to perform what was necessary.

Pakistan needs a new person to lead the national cricket team forward

The recent Pakistani loss sparked widespread discussion about potential staff and team changes. The captaincy of Rizwan seems likely to be terminated. After Rizwan’s potential removal from captaincy which player will become Pakistan’s next team leader remains the pressing issue. Public opinion suggests that Salman Ali Agha may become Pakistan's new captain because he currently serves as the team's vice-captain.