Former cricketer Rashid Latif has claimed that Muhammad Rizwan was removed from captaincy for supporting the Palestine cause.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointed Shaheen Shah Afridi as the new captain of the one-day cricket team on Monday.
Rizwan was appointed as the captain some time ago in place of Babar Azam; now these responsibilities have been taken from him and entrusted to Shaheen Afridi.
Latif has reacted to the dismissal of Rizwan and put the entire responsibility of this decision on head coach Mike Hessen.
The former cricketer said that Hessen dismissed Rizwan for supporting the Gaza and Palestine cause.
In a viral video on social media, Latif said, “Just because he held the Palestinian flag, you removed him from the captaincy? The thought has now come that a non-Islamic captain should come to an Islamic country.”
Latif further said that Hessen wanted to end such a culture that was present in the team’s dressing room, and there were only five or six people with him who were involved in this decision.
The former cricketer also claimed that Rizwan introduced religious traditions in the dressing room during his captaincy, which Mike Hessen did not like.
It should be noted that Rizwan had announced to donate one lakh rupees to Palestinian aid for every six and wicket while playing for Multan Sultans in the PSL.
In 2023, Mohammad Rizwan also dedicated Pakistan’s victory in the One-Day World Cup match against Sri Lanka to the brothers and sisters of Palestine.
It should be remembered that the PCB has not given any reason for removing Rizwan.
According to BCB, this decision was taken after a meeting between the selection committee and white-ball head coach Mike Hessen in Islamabad.
