New Delhi: Pakistan men’s cricket team head coach Mike Hesson has explained why veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan was dropped from the ODI squad for the upcoming series against Australia and why he was initially removed as captain.Rizwan, who led Pakistan to ODI series wins against Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa after becoming captain in 2024, recently struggled with the bat during the Bangladesh series. He scored only 54 runs in three matches at an average of 19.33. Pakistan selectors replaced him with wicketkeeper Rohail Nazir in the team.His exclusion sparked debate among fans, especially after reports that Hesson was not keen to be part of Pakistan’s future white-ball plans, including the 2027 ODI World Cup.Talking about the decision, Hessen said that Pakistan is trying different combinations ahead of the next World Cup. “Because in 18 months we have the World Cup, so we need to look at the options we have from a working people’s point of view, and that was something the selection panel decided,” he explained.Hesson also clarified that changes have already started during the Bangladesh ODI series as Pakistan look to test young players and new combinations.The coach further elaborated on Rizwan’s loss of ODI captaincy in 2025 after Pakistan’s poor results. “In terms of ODIs, yes, Mohammad Rizwan started as captain in the West Indies, and we felt we needed a change at the end of that series because we had won two matches in 12 months, so the team had not performed.”He added, “Certainly, you look at two things: you look at the individual numbers, and you look at how you can maximize the team’s performance. So, we felt we wanted to make a change from a captaincy perspective.”Hesson also pointed out that Rizwan was out of Pakistan’s T20I setup even before he took charge as coach.
