Shaheen Shah Afridi replaces Rizwan as Pakistan ODI captain
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Lahore (PTI): The Pakistan Cricket Board has appointed left arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi as their ODI captain, replacing Muhammad Rizwan ahead of the next month's ODI series against South Africa.
The PCB on Monday said Shaheen will lead the Pakistan side in the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa in Faisalabad from November 4-8.
The PCB said the decision was taken in a meeting in Islamabad which was attended by the national selectors, advisory board members and the national team’s white ball head coach, Mike Hesson.
Shaheen was also named the national T20 captain back in late 2023 but was sacked after just one series in New Zealand with Babar Azam returning to lead in the last World T20 Cup.
A reliable source said it was Hesson who had insisted on working with Salman Ali Agha and Shaheen as the white ball captains as he felt they had the potential to be successful long term captains and build their teams.
Shaheen has played 66 ODIs and 92 T20s for Pakistan besides also featuring in 32 Tests.
In the last two years the PCB has kept on changing the coaches and captains and no real reason was given for Rizwan's removal atthough he led Pakistan to ODI series wins in Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa before facing a string of poor results including in the ICC Champions Trophy.
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
