'I don’t think this is the right call' - PCB replacing Rizwan with Shaheen as ODI captain leaves Amir dejected

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) continued its hasty decision-making and removed Mohammad Rizwan as the ODI captain for the Pakistan men's team. The board has now appointed Shaheen Shah Afridi, the premier pacer from the Men in Green, as their new skipper in the 50-overs side, which is a very disappointing thing to take for Mohammad Amir, the former cricketer.

For the upcoming ODI series against South Africa at home, Shaheen was named as the captain ahead of announcing the squad, but Amir believes that the decision to remove Rizwan is a little too unfair, also opining that the latter is not a bad leader at all, citing his series wins in tough terrains like Australia and South Africa. Amir further believes that his contribution shouldn't have been forgotten before making the decision.

“I don’t think Mohammad Rizwan has been treated fairly. Rizwan was not a bad one-day captain. He led Pakistan to series wins in South Africa and Australia — something even some of our biggest captains couldn’t achieve. We should not have forgotten that," the former Pakistan international was quoted as saying by Geo Super.

“Captaincy should not depend on just one good or bad series. We are all responsible for this — former cricketers and analysts included. We don’t allow stability in our cricket. Captains are not made overnight; it takes two to three years to build one. But here, one bad series is enough to replace a captain. I don’t think this is the right call. Rizwan is a smart captain and has that knack for leadership,” he added.

Furthermore, the cricketer-turned-expert suggested that a transition into the appointment of Shaheen as the captain could have been done by making him the vice-captain first, and then assessing his performances to finally arrive at the change in leadership roles.

“If Shaheen had to be made captain, he could have first been appointed as vice-captain and his performance judged accordingly — especially considering his fitness,” Amir concluded.