Mike Hesson Explains Why Pakistan Dropped Mohammad Rizwan

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan men’s white-ball head coach Mike Hesson has clarified the reasons behind Mohammad Rizwan’s omission from the ODI squad for the upcoming Australia series and the earlier decision to remove him as captain.

Rizwan, who previously guided Pakistan to ODI series wins in Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, failed to impress during the recent Bangladesh tour, scoring only 54 runs in three innings at an average of 19.33. The experienced wicketkeeper batter has now been left out of the squad, with Rohail Nazir coming in as his replacement, while Muhammad Ghazi Ghouri retained his place after debuting earlier this year.

Reports circulating earlier suggested Hesson was not keen on Rizwan continuing in Pakistan’s white-ball plans and that the wicketkeeper batter was no longer being considered for the 2027 ODI World Cup setup.

Addressing the speculation, Hesson said the decision was part of Pakistan’s long-term planning process as the team looks to test different combinations ahead of the next World Cup.

“During the Bangladesh ODI series, we already introduced several new faces while Rizwan remained part of the squad. For this series, a few more changes have been made because we want to assess all available options before the World Cup in 18 months,” Hesson explained. “The decision was taken collectively by the selection panel.”

Hesson also spoke about Rizwan’s removal as ODI captain following Pakistan’s 2-1 series defeat to West Indies in August last year. According to the head coach, the side’s overall performances forced the management to rethink the leadership role.

“When I joined, Rizwan was already out of the T20I setup and was no longer captain there,” Hesson said. “In ODIs, he started as captain against West Indies, but after that series we felt a change was necessary because the team had managed only two wins in 12 months.”

He added that team management evaluates both individual performances and overall team progress before making major decisions.

“You always consider personal numbers, but the bigger focus is how to get the best results as a team. From a leadership perspective, we believed it was the right time to move in a different direction,” he concluded.