Pakistan Cricket Board appointing Shaheen Shah Afridi as Pakistan’s new ODI captain, a key question resurfaces: who is Pakistan’s most successful ODI captain since 2000?
Babar Azam emerges as Pakistan’s most successful 21st-century ODI captain by win percentage, edging past his predecessors with a comfortable margin.
Babar led Pakistan in 43 ODIs with a 63.09% win rate (excluding no-results), ahead of Shoaib Malik (60.97%), Inzamam-ul-Haq (60.71%), Sarfaraz Ahmed (58.33%), and Misbah-ul-Haq (53.48%).
However, the picture shifts when success is defined by major silverware.
Sarfaraz Ahmed remains the only Pakistan ODI captain this century to lift a global ICC title, steering the side to the 2017 Champions Trophy.
Furthermore, on longevity and workload, Misbah-ul-Haq led the most ODIs among the group (87), underscoring sustained selection and stability rather than peak percentage alone.
In the current cycle, Mohammad Rizwan (2024–25) has a 45% win rate from 20 matches.
Taken together, Babar leads by percentage, while Sarfaraz owns the marquee trophy.
Detailed breakdown of Pakistan’s most successful ODI captain
| Player | Span | Matches | Won | Lost | % of matches won | % of matches lost | % of matches lost | Final Result percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Rizwan | 2024–2025 | 20 | 9 | 11 | 45.00 | 55.00 | – | 45.00 |
| Babar Azam | 2020–2023 | 43 | 26 | 15 | 60.46 | 34.88 | 2.32 | 63.09 |
| Imad Wasim | 2019–2019 | 2 | 0 | 2 | – | 100.00 | – | – |
| Mohammad Hafeez | 2017–2017 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50.00 | 50.00 | – | 50.00 |
| Sarfaraz Ahmed | 2015–2019 | 50 | 28 | 20 | 56.00 | 40.00 | 4.00 | 58.33 |
| Azhar Ali | 2015–2017 | 31 | 12 | 18 | 38.70 | 58.06 | 3.22 | 40.00 |
| Shahid Afridi | 2009–2014 | 38 | 19 | 18 | 50.00 | 47.36 | 2.63 | 51.35 |
| Misbah-ul-Haq | 2008–2015 | 87 | 45 | 39 | 51.72 | 44.82 | 1.14 | 53.48 |
| Shoaib Malik | 2007–2019 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 60.97 | 39.02 | – | 60.97 |
| Abdul Razzaq | 2006–2006 | 1 | 0 | 1 | – | 100.00 | – | – |
| Younis Khan | 2005–2009 | 21 | 8 | 13 | 38.09 | 61.90 | – | 38.09 |
| Mohammad Yousuf | 2003–2010 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25.00 | 75.00 | – | 25.00 |
| Inzamam-ul-Haq | 2002–2007 | 87 | 51 | 33 | 58.62 | 37.93 | 3.44 | 60.71 |
| Rashid Latif | 1998–2003 | 25 | 13 | 12 | 52.00 | 48.00 | – | 52.00 |
| Saeed Anwar | 1995–2000 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 45.45 | 54.54 | – | 45.45 |
| Moin Khan | 1995–2001 | 34 | 20 | 14 | 58.82 | 41.17 | – | 58.82 |
| Waqar Younis | 1993–2003 | 62 | 37 | 23 | 59.67 | 37.09 | 3.22 | 61.66 |
| Wasim Akram | 1993–2000 | 109 | 66 | 41 | 60.55 | 37.61 | – | 61.46 |
