India, Oct. 21 -- Former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif has blamed head coach Mike Hesson for the sacking of Mohammad Rizwan as Pakistan captain. The Pakistan Cricket Board, on Monday, named Shaheen Shah Afridi the new captain of ODI team replacing Rizwan as he will take the charge of the side with three-match ODi series.

Before the board made the official announcement, Latif responded to the rumours and alleged that Rizwan's reported removal as captain stems from his act of raising the Palestine flag. He went a step further, claiming that Hesson, who holds a key role in Pakistan team's selection calls, wants to tone down what he perceives as the team's growing Islamic culture in the dressing room.

"There's a rumour that Rizwan is no l...