Hafeez speaks his mind on change in Pakistan captaincy

Former cricketer Mohammad Hafeez has reacted to the potential sacking of Mohammad Rizwan as the Pakistan captain for the upcoming New Zealand tour.

Reports emerged soon after Pakistan’s elimination from the Champions Trophy 2025 that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was considering resting senior players including captain Mohammad Rizwan for the upcoming white-ball series.

The PCB was reportedly considering allrounder Salman Agha and spinner Shadab Khan to take over the charge from Rizwan for the New Zealand tour.

Reacting to reports, former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez said that such rash decision would further hurt Pakistan cricket following the dismal Champions Trophy 2025 outing.

“I think it will be another injustice to Pakistan cricket to make decisions in anger. No player should be made a scapegoat. If someone is not disciplined and challenges team management, they should be dropped from the team,” he said while speaking to private TV channel.

While urging for bringing new faces into the side, Hafeez was against a change in the Pakistan captaincy.

“We should leave the mindset that the captain should be changed. We should go with Rizwan as a captain. He will be a very good captain as he has done good captaincy in recent past,” the former Pakistan captain said.

Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand will run from March 16 to April 5, featuring five T20Is and three ODIs.

The T20I series will commence with the first game in Christchurch on March 16, followed by the second match in Dunedin on March 18.

The third match will be played in Auckland on March 21, while the fourth and fifth games are scheduled on March 23 and 26, respectively.

Following the conclusion of the T20I series, the teams will travel to Napier for the first ODI, scheduled for March 29.

The two sides will face off in the second ODI on April 2 in Hamilton, while the third and final ODI will be played in Mount Maunganui on April 5.