Speculation mounts on potential changes in Pakistan cricket captaincy

The debate over changing captains for Pakistan's red and white-ball cricket teams has intensified.

According to media reports, senior officials from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), including white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten, red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie, heads of high-performance centers, senior cricketers, board officials, and international and domestic directors, will participate in a key meeting led by Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

This meeting is part of the recent review of coaching and leadership.

Gary Kirsten had returned to his home country after submitting a detailed report to the PCB in July, while Jason Gillespie left for Australia after the historic Test series loss against Bangladesh.

Sources indicate that separate meetings will be held for red and white-ball coaches to discuss their respective formats, with potential changes in captains for both shorter and longer formats being a significant agenda item.

There is considerable speculation about a potential change in white ball captaincy, with wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan emerging as a strong candidate.

The review will also consider Test captain Shan Masood.

The PCB’s recent decision to overlook Babar Azam for the Champions One Day Cup has fueled speculation that his captaincy might be reassessed.

There is a strong possibility of appointing new captains for One Day Internationals and T20 formats, as Pakistan is scheduled to tour Australia in November, with major changes expected beforehand.

On the other hand, sources suggest that if Rizwan is appointed as the white ball captain against Australia, he might be considered for captaincy across all formats in the future.