NEW DELHI: Pakistan men's cricket team head coach Mike Hesson has explained the reasons behind dropping experienced wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan from the ODI squad for the upcoming series against Australia and his earlier removal as captain.
Rizwan, who led Pakistan to ODI series victories against Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa after taking over the captaincy in 2024, recently struggled with the bat during the Bangladesh series. He managed only 54 runs in three matches at an average of 19.33, leading selectors to replace him in the squad with wicketkeeper-batter Rohail Nazir.
His exclusion sparked significant debate among fans, especially after reports suggested Hesson was not keen on Rizwan being part of Pakistan's future white-ball plans, including the 2027 ODI World Cup. Speaking about the decision, Hesson stated that Pakistan is experimenting with different combinations ahead of the next World Cup.
"Because in 18 months time we have a World Cup, so we need to look at the options we have from a working people's point of view, and that was something that the selection panel decided," Hesson explained.
He also clarified that changes had already begun during the Bangladesh ODI series as Pakistan sought to test younger players and new combinations. Regarding Rizwan losing the ODI captaincy after Pakistan's poor results in 2025, Hesson elaborated: "In terms of ODIs, yes, Mohammad Rizwan started as the captain in the West Indies, and we felt we needed a change at the end of that series because we had won two games in 12 months. So, the team had not performed."
He added, "Sure, you look at two things: you look at individual numbers, and you look at how you can maximise the team's performance. So, we felt we wanted to make a change from the captaincy's point of view." Hesson also noted that Rizwan had already been out of Pakistan's T20I setup before he took charge as coach.
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