Mike Hesson blamed for Mohammad Rizwan's sacking to curb ‘religious culture’ in dressing room: ‘He wants this to end’

Before the board made the official announcement, Latif responded to the rumours and alleged that Rizwan’s reported removal as captain stems from his act of raising the Palestine flag. He went a step further, claiming that Hesson, who holds a key role in Pakistan team's selection calls, wants to tone down what he perceives as the team’s growing Islamic culture in the dressing room.

“There’s a rumour that Rizwan is no longer the captain. Just because he raised Palestine flag, will you remove him as captain? There’s this mindset that in Islamic country there will be a non-Islamic captain. This is Mike Hesson’s doing. He doesn’t like this culture in the dressing room. He wants this culture to end. We never had a problem be it Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saeed Anwar or Saqlain Mushtaq. Nobody raised any objection…," Latif said in a video which is going viral on social media.

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Meanwhile, Hesson was also part of the board meeting where the decision to name Shaheen the new captain was made.

"A meeting of the selection committee, also attended by Pakistan's white-ball head coach Mike Hesson, decided that Shaheen will lead Pakistan's ODI side against South Africa," said a PCB release.

Rizwan sacked after Champions Trophy and West Indies ODI debacle

Rizwan began his stint as Pakistan’s ODI captain on a high, leading the team to a 2-1 triumph in Australia — their first series win there in over two decades — in November 2024. The success continued with a clean sweep against South Africa on their home soil and a 2-1 victory in Zimbabwe.

Things took a turn earlier this year when Pakistan fell short in the home tri-series final against New Zealand and made an early exit from the Champions Trophy in February. The rough patch worsened in the Caribbean, where Pakistan lost 2-1 — their first series defeat in the West Indies in 34 years.

Shaheen, who had captained Pakistan in five T20Is in New Zealand the previous year, was sacked after a 4-1 loss in that series. The three-match ODI series against South Africa will be played on November 4, 6 and 8 -- all in Faisalabad.

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