Mohammad Rizwan sacked by PCB for ‘pushing’ religion, making players uncomfortable: Report

Mohammad Rizwan reportedly did not lose Pakistan ODI captaincy due to concerns over his leadership skills, but his tendency to “involve religion in cricket discussions,” which made some people “anxious” in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Rizwan was replaced as Pakistan ODI captain by Shaheen Shah Afridi on Monday.

However, what surprised cricket fans and experts in Pakistan was that the new white-ball coach, Mike Hesson, recommended the removal of the wicketkeeper-batter from the top post after working with him during just one series.

Hesson coached the Rizwan-led Pakistan ODI team in the three-match series in the West Indies, which the Men In Green lost 2-1. “It is strange that Hesson formed an opinion about Rizwan’s captaincy after just one series when the wicketkeeper-batsman’s success rate is 45 percent and don’t forget he won ODI series in Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa,” cricket analyst Omair Alavi said.

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Rizwan sacked by PCB for ‘pushing’ religion?

Now it has emerged that Rizwan’s religious inclinations could have forced him out of the leadership role.

Rizwan’s removal was orchestrated by Hesson, PCB’s director of the high-performance centre, Aaqib Javed, and former captains, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Misbah-ul-Haq, who are on the advisory board to the PCB Chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, as per news agency PTI.

And one of the major reasons why Rizwan was pushed out could be the fact that “some people in the cricket board were a bit anxious over Rizwan’s growing tendency to involve religion in cricket discussions in the dressing room,” the report added.

Reportedly, Rizwan’s actions also made a few players uncomfortable.

Rizwan has never shied away from expressing his faith publicly, as he was once famously seen offering namaz during a T20I against India in 2021. Imam-ul-Haq had also revealed in a podcast that Rizwan is the one who arranges prayer rooms for Pakistan players during cricket tours.

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The 33-year-old Rizwan, in the past, had also been criticised by Ahmed Shehzad for hiding behind religion after poor results by the team under his captaincy.