PCB dismisses reports on Shan, Rizwan's captaincy roles as ‘baseless’

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday dismissed rumours regarding the removal of Shan Masood as Test captain and Mohammad Rizwan as ODI skipper.

In a post on X, a PCB spokesperson said that there is no proposal under consideration to remove Masood from Test captaincy, nor was there any plan to appoint Saud Shakeel as his replacement.

Tthe PCB also catagorically rejected reports about Rizwan being stripped of his ODI captaincy. The PCB clarified that Salman Ali Agha is not being considered as the new ODI captain.

The PCB further confirmed that the selection committee has not discussed any matter or proposal regarding a change in captaincy. Additionally, the PCB emphasised that the category of any player’s contract has not been altered.

The clarification was issued after speculation intensified that Shan could be replaced by Saud as Test captain, while Rizwan’s position as ODI captain was also reported to be in jeopardy.

For the unversed, the Tri-Nation series, featuring Pakistan, Afghanistan and the UAE, will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium from August 29 to September 7.

Pakistan will open their campaign against Afghanistan at 7:00 PM local time. Each team will play the others twice, with the top two qualifying for the final on September 7.

Following the series, Pakistan will turn its focus to the 2025 Asia Cup, which kicks off on September 9 with the opening match between Afghanistan and Hong Kong.

Eight teams, divided into two groups, will compete for the coveted trophy.

Pakistan has been placed in Group A alongside India, UAE, and Oman. Group B comprises Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Hong Kong.

The men in green will launch their Asia Cup campaign against Oman on September 12, followed by the highly anticipated clash against India on September 14.

Their final group-stage match will be against hosts UAE on September 17.

Tri-series schedule (all matches at Sharjah Cricket Stadium):

29 August – Afghanistan v Pakistan – 7pm local time

30 August – UAE v Pakistan – 7pm local time

1 September – UAE v Afghanistan – 7pm local time

2 September – Pakistan v Afghanistan – 7pm local time

4 September – Pakistan v UAE – 7pm local time

5 September – Afghanistan v UAE – 7pm local time

7 September – Final – 7pm local time

ACC Asia Cup T20 2025 (Pakistan fixtures, Super Fours and Final):

12 September – Oman v Pakistan, DICS, 6pm local time

14 September – India v Pakistan, DICS, 6pm local time

17 September – UAE v Pakistan, DICS, 6pm local time

20-26 September – Super Fours fixtures (Abu Dhabi and Dubai)

28 September – Final, DICS, 6pm local time