Mohamed Radwan and Mike Mike Hesson
New Delhi: Pakistan men’s cricket team coach Mike Hesson has explained why experienced batsman Mohammad Rizwan was left out of the ODI squad for the upcoming series against Australia and why he was removed earlier as captain.Rizwan, who led Pakistan to series ODI wins against Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa after becoming captain in 2024, recently struggled with the bat during the Bangladesh series.
He scored just 54 runs in three matches at an average of 19.33. The Pakistani selectors replaced him in the team with wicket-keeper batsman Raheel Nazir.His exclusion sparked a huge controversy among fans, especially after reports claimed that 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 that Pakistan is trying different combinations before the next World Cup. He explained: “Because in 18 months we will host the World Cup, so we need to look at the options available to us from the point of view of the people working, and this is what the selection committee decided.”Hesson also explained that the changes had already begun during the Bangladesh ODI series as Pakistan were looking to test younger players and new combinations.
The coach also spoke about Rizwan losing the ODI captaincy after Pakistan’s poor results in 2025. “As far as ODIs are concerned, yes, Mohamed Rizwan started as captain for 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 did not perform.”He added: “Definitely, you look at two things: you look at the individual numbers, and you look at how to maximize the team’s performance. So, we felt we wanted to make a change from the captain’s point of view.”Hesson also pointed out that Rizwan was already out of Pakistan’s T20I squad before he took over as coach.