Home / Sports / Pakistan Appoints Shaheen Afridi as New ODI Captain for South Africa Series
Pakistan Appoints Shaheen Afridi as New ODI Captain for South Africa Series
3 Nov
Summary
- Pakistan appoints Shaheen Afridi as new ODI captain, replacing Mohammad Rizwan
- Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub to open the batting, aiming for a quick start
- Babar Azam's excellent ODI record at number 3 is Pakistan's biggest strength
As of November 4th, 2025, Pakistan's focus has shifted to the ODI series against South Africa, following their convincing T20 series victory. The team is looking to bounce back after a rough patch in the 50-over format, which saw them suffer defeats against New Zealand and the West Indies.
In a major move, the Pakistan Cricket Board has appointed Shaheen Afridi as the new ODI captain, replacing Mohammad Rizwan. This will be Shaheen's first ODI series as captain, and he will be looking to lead the team to success.
The opening pair of Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub is expected to provide Pakistan with a quick start in the powerplay. Zaman, who was sidelined due to injury in the West Indies series, is now fully fit, while Ayub impressed in the T20 series with a score of 108 runs.
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Babar Azam, Pakistan's most reliable batsman, will be crucial at number 3. Despite a poor outing in the West Indies, Azam's ODI record is excellent, with 5,601 runs in 110 innings at an average of 58.34 and a strike rate of 88.
The middle order will be bolstered by Mohammad Rizwan and Agha Salman, who will bat at numbers 4 and 5, respectively. Salman's all-round abilities, including his part-time off-spin, will provide additional depth to the team.
The pace attack, led by Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Faheem Ashraf, will be the backbone of Pakistan's bowling. Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Nawaz, the spin all-rounder, will also play important roles in the series.
