5 players who have been Pakistan's captains since ODI World Cup 2023

Overview

• Pakistan has had five captains in different formats with nine of them either being asked to stepp down or removed from their positions
• The likes of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, Agha Ali Salman, and Shan Masood have led Pakistan since the ODI World Cup 2023
• However, not one of them completed their full term as captains due to the change in the decision making from the management

Pakistan has had five captains in different formats with nine of them either being asked to step down or removed from their positions. The musical chair of finding a new captain has continued, as Mohammad Rizwan has been removed as the ODI captain to be replaced by Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Pakistan has had a volatile history in its leadership in the last couple of years. There does not seem to be a long-term vision to have a stable leadership to lead the national side. While other top teams in the world have had limited change in leadership, Pakistan has not been able to have a settled lineup due to the constant changes in leadership.

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5 players who have been Pakistan's captains since ODI World Cup 2023

Babar Azam

Babar Azam stepped down from Pakistan's captaincy across formats in November 2023, following the Asian side's exit from the ODI World Cup in the group stage. His decision led to the appointment of two new captains for the Asian side.

In March 2024, he was appointed as the T20I captain of the side. The star player resigned from his post just seven months after that, as Pakistan failed to qualify for the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup. 

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Shaheen Shah Afridi

Shaheen Shah Afridi was named the T20I skipper of the side in November 2023 ater Babar stepped down from leadership. Just 4 months after his announcement and with just a couple of months to go for the T20 World Cup, Shaheen was removed from his position.

Babar was reappointed the T20I skipper of the side for the T20 World Cup 2024. In October 2025, Mohammad Rizwan was removed as the ODI captain and was replaced with the left-arm pacer.

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Shan Masood

Shan Masood was named the Test captain of the Pakistani side in November 2023. While Shaheen took charge of the white ball formats, Masood was named the skipper of the Pakistani red-ball side.

To date, he remains the only Pakistani skipper to have not been removed from his role or been asked to step down as the skipper of the side. Under Masood, Pakistan has blown hot and cold in the longest format of the game.

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Mohammad Rizwan

Mohammad Rizwan was appointed the Limited Overs captain of Pakistan in October 2024, after Azam stepped down as the T20I skipper. The star player was removed from his T20I captaincy in March 2025.

As Agha Ali Slam became the shorter format skipper, Rizwan continued to Pakistan's ODI skipper for half a year even after a group stage exit from the home Champions Trophy 2025. However, Shaheen became the latest to replace him.

Agha Ali Salman

Agha Ali Salman was named the T20I skipper of the team in March 2025, following Pakistan's poor performances under Rizwan. For over half a year, he has remained the skipper of the side in the shorter format.

Under Salman, Pakistan made it to the final of the Asia Cup 2025. Currently, he is the T20I skipper and might remain so till the T20 World Cup 2026. Pakistan's Test and ODI skippers are Masood and Shaheen, respectively.