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NEW DELHI: Pakistan men’s cricket team head coach Mike Hesson has explained why experienced wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan was dropped from the ODI squad for the upcoming series against Australia and why he was earlier removed as captain.Rizwan, who had 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 in the squad with wicketkeeper batter Rohail Nazir.His exclusion created major debate among fans, especially after reports claimed 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 said Pakistan are trying out 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,” he explained.Hesson also clarified that changes had already started during the Bangladesh ODI series as Pakistan looked to test younger players and new combinations.The coach further spoke about Rizwan losing the ODI captaincy after Pakistan’s poor results in 2025. “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 pointed out that Rizwan had already been out of Pakistan’s T20I setup before he took charge as coach.
