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KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Saturday it had not made a final decision on replacing Muhammad Rizwan as the One-Day International (ODI) captain, following the team’s recent underwhelming performances.

Rizwan, who led the side in Pakistan’s most recent ODI series against the West Indies in August, has come under increasing scrutiny due to the poor team performance under his leadership. Since taking over the ODI captaincy in late 2024, Rizwan had started on a strong note with impressive away series victories against Australia and South Africa. However, Pakistan’s form has slumped in 2025, marked by a series loss to the West Indies and a disappointing campaign in the ICC Champions

Trophy, where the team finished bottom of Group A with two defeats and one no-result.

Under Rizwan, Pakistan have played 21 ODIs, winning just nine, or about 45 percent. The string of poor results has intensified speculation over his future as captain.

“The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has clarified that no decision has been made yet regarding the captaincy of the national team for the upcoming One Day International (ODI) series against South Africa,” the PCB said in a statement.

The PCB added that head coach Mike Hesson has formally written to PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, recommending that a joint meeting of the Selection Committee and the Advisory Committee be convened to finalize the captain for the series.

“Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has referred the letter to the selection and the advisory committees which will meet up on October 20, during which the final decision on the ODI captaincy is expected to be made,” the PCB added.

Shan Masood is currently captaining Pakistan in the ongoing Test series against South Africa.

Pakistan claimed a 93-run win in the first Test in Lahore. The second Test is scheduled for October 20 in Rawalpindi.

The tour will then move into the limited-overs leg, starting with three Twenty20 Internationals to be played between October 28 and November 1 in Rawalpindi and Lahore. The ODI series will follow in Faisalabad on November 4, with the second and third matches also set to take place at the same venue.

Captains for both the T20 and ODI formats are yet to be announced.

AUSTIN: Max Verstappen made the most of a first-corner collision between the two McLaren drivers to win Saturday’s sprint race at the United States Grand Prix and reduce Oscar Piastri’s lead over him by eight points.

The four-time world champion turned his third consecutive sprint pole at the Circuit of the Americas into a third straight sprint win, reducing the gap between him and Piastri to 55 points.

Lando Norris remained second, 22 points behind Piastri who had crashed into him after being hit by Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber as the German driver attempted to sweep inside the McLarens at Turn One.

Verstappen went on to win after 19 laps, ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell, Williams’ Carlos Sainz and the two Ferraris, with Lewis Hamilton finishing fourth after a slick overtake of Charles Leclerc.

“The start was good,” said Verstappen. “But then, of course, there was the safety... It took a few laps to have good pace so we need to work out what happened there.

“We need to be better in race trim tomorrow to fight the McLarens. We’ll take a look. We have some ideas so hopefully it will work better.”

The McLarens are without a race win since Australian Piastri’s victory at the Dutch Grand Prix in August.

“We both went pretty deep into Turn One,” said Piastri. “I tried to cut back but I got a hit... Not a great way to start the day — I need to take another look.”

Norris said: “There’s not a lot I could do. I was taken out and that was it.”

- Verstappen’s perfect start -

On a hot day in Austin, Verstappen made a perfect start to lead away up the hill into Turn One.

The accident behind him was caused by Hulkenberg tagging Piastri who was lifted airborne into Norris’s car.

For McLaren and their duelling title-chasers, it was a disastrous start and gifted Verstappen an opportunity to make a substantial cut into Piastri’s championship lead.

Hulkenberg lost his front wing as he progressed, leaving debris across the track, with Fernando Alonso also retiring his Aston Martin due to a puncture.

The contest resumed after five controlled laps behind the safety car, of the 19 in total, with Verstappen surging away, chased by Russell.

Sainz continued to hang on in third for Williams with the two Ferraris breathing down his neck.

On lap eight, Russell made a dive down the inside at Turn 12 in an attempt to pass Verstappen, but succeeded only in ensuring both slid off before rejoining.

Behind them, a lap later, Hamilton executed a perfect move to pass Leclerc for fourth and then resist his fightback.

Verstappen stayed in control, but complained that his car was imperfect.

He held on to a 2.4-second lead while Sainz battled to resist Hamilton’s pace before a second safety car intervention.

That came when Lance Stroll speared his Aston Martin into Esteban Ocon’s Haas inside Turn One, prompting the flags that curtailed the final laps.