Is this the end of Salman Ali Agha's T20I captaincy?

[Katwalindian]

What was so special about his captaincy? I find it very cringe when people praise his captaincy, he bought Rauf back into the attack and took Saim Ayub off when he had one over left, he didn't have the balls to bowl himself at all, he didn't bowl Nawaz at all when the wickets was aiding spin, he benched Suffiyan Muqeem, benched Hasan Nawaz for Hussain Talat.

He is just another Pakistani softie who bottles it under pressure. Sorry he is not cut out for the job. You can't have a non performing captain, it's not good for team morale

Haris rauf was bowling good in that tournament until that point ..how would he knew he will travel......plus saim only have one over left and dube would have targeted him regardless......

 

[AZulfi]

Seriously i want India to phase SKY out. I know he has the best W/L ratio for an Indian captain. Won 25 out of 29. But we cannot carry even a single passenger.

I expect SKY to remain captain until the T20 World Cup in February. He’s 35 now and will likely retire then. India has a very good chance of retaining the cup. A good all-round team + home conditions

 

[Katwalindian]

Who do you want captaining the side?

What’s the point of crying if you don’t have a worthy solution?

Salman agha is best captain in Pakistan and actually looked and respected like captain in field.......plus batting wise he will be good in other conditions....

 

[Rana]

Salman agha is best captain in Pakistan and actually looked and respected like captain in field.......plus batting wise he will be good in other conditions....

He needs to bat at 3

He will be fine there.

 

[Katwalindian]

He needs to bat at 3

He will be fine there.

You can't judge batsmen on these garbage t20 pitches in UAE...

 

[Rana]

You can't judge batsmen on these garbage t20 pitches in UAE...

I’m not judging him at all

I think his best position is 3

 

[stani_pak]

This is a rubbish take I am sorry, just because there are no other alternatives apparently, we should continue to stick with someone who is not even worthy of his own spot in the team?

Don't think so, the first question a captain must answer ie do you make the team yourself?

Salman Ali Agha did not look international material at any stage in this cup. The guy apparently is reputed to be one of the top players of spin bowling from Pakistan and he got embarrassed by Axar, Kuldeep, Hasaranga like easy work.

I agree but what I am saying is that the alternatives are not great either, so whom ever you go with I do not think it will make a huge difference, the reason I said maybe just stick with him, is since T20 WC is only 5 months away. But ideally it would be great to have him removed for someone better but the reality is it would be between Shaheen, Babar, Rizwan...Fakhar...maybe even Mohammad Haris

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Shaheen I don’t mind, but he will need to rotate, so who will be captain then.

If Shadab is the captain then you’re gonna be right back to the “non performing captain” thing. Should Shadab even be in the team?

Personally I don’t actually mind either of Shaheen or Shadab.

And I don’t mind Agha either. He’s shown me enough to have another couple of series.

Although a captain shouldn't be changed after every 6 months.
An in form Shadab (bowling wise) would walk straight into the team. He did exceptionally well in 2021 and 2022 wt20s. Any runs he scores are just bonus but he has a lot more range than other pseudo batters in the side. The key would be to get him to realize his spin should be a top priority of him getting in the team.

 

[Snowflake]

That was more on Haris Rauf having a shocker of a game. He had the captain, then eventually the coach signaling him the basics but he couldn't listen to either and bowled in Varma's arc for easy runs.

Haris had a bad game but he is wayyyyy less to blame than our batsmen.

 

[Snowflake]

I’ve been a fan of Agha and have supported his appointment. But he’s had a horrible tournament - so bad that I’m questioning my opinion about him.

Any player can have a lean run and I’m not fussed about his form as a player. However, it’s the captaincy that was shocking.

Blunder after blunder. From team selection, to batting orders to bowling changes; absolutely mindless.

It’s one thing to give out of form players a fair chance, but it’s another thing to do it for so long that it effs up your tournament. It was insanity to stick with Saim in the final and keep H Nawaz out.

I won’t object if he’s shown the door. Poor captain

 

[Savak]

I’ve been a fan of Agha and have supported his appointment. But he’s had a horrible tournament - so bad that I’m questioning my opinion about him.

Any player can have a lean run and I’m not fussed about his form as a player. However, it’s the captaincy that was shocking.

Blunder after blunder. From team selection, to batting orders to bowling changes; absolutely mindless.

It’s one thing to give out of form players a fair chance, but it’s another thing to do it for so long that it effs up your tournament. It was insanity to stick with Saim in the final and keep H Nawaz out.

I won’t object if he’s shown the door. Poor captain

I am not too concerned about his captaincy. Every captain makes mistakes. What is more concerning was the fact that he did not look international quality in a single innings, he looked like a tail ender against India's spinners and he is reputed to be among the top players of spin bowling in Pakistan.

 

[ads101]

I am not too concerned about his captaincy. Every captain makes mistakes. What is more concerning was the fact that he did not look international quality in a single innings, he looked like a tail ender against India's spinners and he is reputed to be among the top players of spin bowling in Pakistan.

I think he’s just an ok captain. He made some mistakes. Certainly not an amazing one. But I think people are desperate to vouch for him to keep Babar and Rizwan out.

That match came down to the wire. Had Shaheen been captain, Hasan Nawaz in for Agha there’s a chance we could have won maybe. I think we would have done this had Agha not captain I. I believe he was arguably the only player from Pakistan not to have a single good game in this tournament. It’s also not like he got out swinging for zero first ball, he actually had time to stay in and still he produced nothing.

I don’t think it’s an either or situation with babar/Rizwan and Shaheen. We can easily continue not opening with those two under a different captain eg Shaheen and it still progressing with our different aggressive strategy. Agha isn’t central to that, and doesn’t encompass that in the way he plays. And I’m not saying we have to necessarily bring him back but I also don’t see how Babar coming back at 3 also changes our batting strategy given how poor our options have been at that position.

The main difference is the openers. It’s not essential to carry a passenger down the order that plays even slower.

 

[Savak]

I think he’s just an ok captain. He made some mistakes. Certainly not an amazing one. But I think people are desperate to vouch for him to keep Babar and Rizwan out.

That match came down to the wire. Had Shaheen been captain, Hasan Nawaz in for Agha there’s a chance we could have won maybe. I think we would have done this had Agha not captain I. I believe he was arguably the only player from Pakistan not to have a single good game in this tournament. It’s also not like he got out swinging for zero first ball, he actually had time to stay in and still he produced nothing.

I don’t think it’s an either or situation with babar/Rizwan and Shaheen. We can easily continue not opening with those two under a different captain eg Shaheen and it still progressing with our different aggressive strategy. Agha isn’t central to that, and doesn’t encompass that in the way he plays. And I’m not saying we have to necessarily bring him back but I also don’t see how Babar coming back at 3 also changes our batting strategy given how poor our options have been at that position.

The main difference is the openers. It’s not essential to carry a passenger down the order that plays even slower.

Given what i have seen given the quality of batting, Babar can come in for Agha at number 3 or 4, atleast he will score runs at a slightly better run rate. Rizwan can come in for Haris at number 5 or 6, atleast Rizwan can be relied to stay out there and can hit some big shots if needed.

 

[topspin]

Given what i have seen given the quality of batting, Babar can come in for Agha at number 3 or 4, atleast he will score runs at a slightly better run rate. Rizwan can come in for Haris at number 5 or 6, atleast Rizwan can be relied to stay out there and can hit some big shots if needed.

I think you've already forgotten Babar can't play spin to save his life. How do you expect him to bat at 3 or 4?

I have no issue with axing Agha if Pakistan can find both a superior captain (perhaps Shaheen) and/or superior player.

One thing we can agree on is Agha cannot bat anywhere near in top 7. Either you hide him at 8 and play him as a specialist captain or drop him altogether.

 

[Savak]

I think you've already forgotten Babar can't play spin to save his life. How do you expect him to bat at 3 or 4?

I have no issue with axing Agha if Pakistan can find both a superior captain (perhaps Shaheen) and/or superior player.

One thing we can agree on is Agha cannot bat anywhere near in top 7. Either you hide him at 8 and play him as a specialist captain or drop him altogether.

I think this myth Babar can't play spin is over exaggerated. He has a century in Sri Lanka in tough spinning conditions. Yes he has his limitations i.e. he can play the sweep shot and is easy to tie down but he is much better than Salman Ali Agha, Hussein Talat. Same goes for Rizwan

 

[jnaveen1980]

I am not too concerned about his captaincy. Every captain makes mistakes. What is more concerning was the fact that he did not look international quality in a single innings, he looked like a tail ender against India's spinners and he is reputed to be among the top players of spin bowling in Pakistan.

It is a myth Salman Ali Agha is the best player against spin. Among the top run getters against spin in Pakistan cricket Agha has one of the worst strike rate. Average is middling. Balls/6 is almost the same others. I think Shadab looks the slightly better option against spin.

PAKISTAN PLAYERS AGAINST SPIN in T20

 

[moghul]

His personality , technique and performance doesn't belong to fast paced T20 format , please sack him immediately both as captain and as player .

 

[mon858]

I would give one final chance on good batting strips. If he cant perform and also has bad PSL then change with Shaheen. He has come back well. Only concern is dont want to affect his bowling focus and form.

Dropping Salman from captaincy also frees up a slot to try Hasan Nawaz again, or Babar or Shadab once fit. Shadab could probably slot in place of Hussain Talat, once fully fit and shows some performance in domestic or some league.

It is disappointing that he didnt perform as ideally he could have been the next all format captain or minimally white ball captain.

 

[moghul]

I would give one final chance on good batting strips. If he cant perform and also has bad PSL then change with Shaheen. He has come back well. Only concern is dont want to affect his bowling focus and form.

Dropping Salman from captaincy also frees up a slot to try Hasan Nawaz again, or Babar or Shadab once fit. Shadab could probably slot in place of Hussain Talat, once fully fit and shows some performance in domestic or some league.

It is disappointing that he didnt perform as ideally he could have been the next all format captain or minimally white ball captain.

This " one final chance " has ruined Pakistan cricket. We have seen enough of Agha , one fluke performance against a minnow and we will be stuck with him for long . Time to

 

[SportsWarrior]

It is a myth Salman Ali Agha is the best player against spin. Among the top run getters against spin in Pakistan cricket Agha has one of the worst strike rate. Average is middling. Balls/6 is almost the same others. I think Shadab looks the slightly better option against spin.

PAKISTAN PLAYERS AGAINST SPIN in T20

Thanks for backing up with numbers. He looks awful against spin. He may play spin okay in first class where there is no pressure to force the game or score runs against them. But when he is required to score runs he looks pathetic. He may have good defence (wasn't on display in Asia cup and haven't seen him bat otherwise) but he was clearly not picking any spinners. Heck he wasn't even looking good against Axar who is a pretty conventional bowler in t20s

 

[hassan918]

I would give one final chance on good batting strips. If he cant perform and also has bad PSL then change with Shaheen. He has come back well. Only concern is dont want to affect his bowling focus and form.

Dropping Salman from captaincy also frees up a slot to try Hasan Nawaz again, or Babar or Shadab once fit. Shadab could probably slot in place of Hussain Talat, once fully fit and shows some performance in domestic or some league.

It is disappointing that he didnt perform as ideally he could have been the next all format captain or minimally white ball captain.

Shadab is likely to be the next captain. I hope this doesn't affect his own performance and he performs well with bat and ball, especially with the ball.

 

[stani_pak]

Shadab is likely to be the next captain. I hope this doesn't affect his own performance and he performs well with bat and ball, especially with the ball.

The issue with Shadab is if he captains, will he allow the spinners to bowl, or will he bring him self on, I think if his bowling is not up to the mark, he should focus on captaining the team, and his batting

 

[stani_pak]

I have been seeing on some youtube channels, do not know if this is true, that Salman might end up getting removed from Captain of T20 side.

 

[Ball Blazer]

idts his body language as a captain was weak. Answers in presser were also to the point despite poor performances on the field.

 

[shah9425]

He has been a disappointment

Should be removed asap from captaincy

 

[Rana]

He has been a disappointment

Should be removed asap from captaincy

Yes he’s disappointed Rizwan fans so much because Rizwan has NO BUSINESS in T20s

 

[AZulfi]

I’ve been a fan of Agha and have supported his appointment. But he’s had a horrible tournament - so bad that I’m questioning my opinion about him.

Any player can have a lean run and I’m not fussed about his form as a player. However, it’s the captaincy that was shocking.

Blunder after blunder. From team selection, to batting orders to bowling changes; absolutely mindless.

It’s one thing to give out of form players a fair chance, but it’s another thing to do it for so long that it effs up your tournament. It was insanity to stick with Saim in the final and keep H Nawaz out.

I won’t object if he’s shown the door. Poor captain

Agree. However, I would have played Hassan Nawaz in place of Talat in the final

 

[RehanG]

Give it to Shaheen or Shadab for t20.

 

[Farabi]

It is a myth Salman Ali Agha is the best player against spin. Among the top run getters against spin in Pakistan cricket Agha has one of the worst strike rate. Average is middling. Balls/6 is almost the same others. I think Shadab looks the slightly better option against spin.

PAKISTAN PLAYERS AGAINST SPIN in T20

Interesting data. Shows why middle order has been a struggle since the departure of Hafeez and Malik.
Can you also pull data for recent lot Haris, S Farhan, and Hassan Nawaz. Thank you.

 

[Shaka81]

Agha has been an average to mediocre player his whole career so not sure why someone in PCB thought he would transform into a top level batsman or bowler simply by making him T20 captain. He's just maintaining his career performances to date and hoping/praying no one notices how average and bland he is as a cricketer and leader.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Interesting data. Shows why middle order has been a struggle since the departure of Hafeez and Malik.
Can you also pull data for recent lot Haris, S Farhan, and Hassan Nawaz. Thank you.

The data I got was for guys with a larger sample. Maybe that is why I didn't get much data from others. THey have played only for a short period mostly against low rank sides. For what its worth

Hasan Nawaz 21.70 average 145.63 strike rate 17-6s 8-4s 8.76 balls / six 18.65 balls / 4
Farhan 23.91 average 122.12 strike rate 22-6s 14-4s 11.56 balls/six 16.7 balls/4
Haris 13.00 average 114.70 strike rate 5-6s 13-4s 27.2 balls/six 10.46/4


Haris looks mediocre by every metric. HE is shockingly playing international cricket.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Hasan Nawaz is a bit hackish. But among the hacks he is the most serviceable hack for Pakistan. Given that there is no option they must use him in top 4 as a floater. He can go like 0, 2, 3, 90, 3, 5. You shouldn't be surprised if he does that. He has too many risky shots so he needs a bit of luck. But he can be your match winner on his day

 

[hks222]

He needs to go. Not bowling talat or bowling out sain was a terrible call

 

[Snowflake]

Agree. However, I would have played Hassan Nawaz in place of Talat in the final

Yeah that’s a fair call too.

 

[JibranAnsari]

Forget captaincy, does he even a merit a place in pakistan squad? Or even a squad of 30? He was doing very well in ODIs and tests so PCB thought why nit just destroy his career now. Thats what they are doing.

 

[Obaidd]

Batting first against India in the group match and bowling Rauf non-stop in final.

He’s making decisions poor enough that his ‘intentions’ need to be questioned.

 

[hks222]

Some of PCB's decisions are beyond understanding.

Making him captain was pinnacle of such.

 

[Markhor]

This captaincy nonsense started when the Part Time Chairman sacked Shaheen after one T20 series and reinstated Babar - a decision which ended in tears a few months later.

Now we've snookered ourselves because we're reluctant to make yet another change with a T20 WC on the horizon - but we've a captain unsuited to this aggressive brand of cricket we're pushing. If the argument is Babar and Rizwan are too slow, which is a valid criticism, then what justifies Agha's place with his 110 SR ?

The decision making doesn't align with the philosophy but that's Pakistan cricket - make it up as you go along, fly by the seat of your pants etc.

 

[hassan918]

According to Ahmed Shehzad, it is hard to fit Agha in the T20 team. This is what he said during a television appearance.

"Salman Ali Agha is a good player, but it is difficult for him to make a place in T20 cricket, yet he has been made the captain,”

 

[Rana]

According to Ahmed Shehzad, it is hard to fit Agha in the T20 team. This is what he said during a television appearance.

"Salman Ali Agha is a good player, but it is difficult for him to make a place in T20 cricket, yet he has been made the captain,”

Well, who gets into the team solely as a T20 player?

When Kirsten wanted to make Harris the captain, it was the Pakistani media that went absolutely bonkers.

When Shadab was touted, again the media and fans lost their marbles because “Shadab doesn’t make the team”

You guys are happy with nothing! People will only give leeway to guys like Rizwan. I wonder why that is?

 

[Usman Chadda]

Well, who gets into the team solely as a T20 player?

When Kirsten wanted to make Harris the captain, it was the Pakistani media that went absolutely bonkers.

When Shadab was touted, again the media and fans lost their marbles because “Shadab doesn’t make the team”

You guys are happy with nothing! People will only give leeway to guys like Rizwan. I wonder why that is?

Haris as captain? He barely makes the team based on his performances.

Shadab is a much better option than either Haris or Agha, even though he is also a mediocre international cricketer. But he has performances behind him unlike Haris or Agha, who have failed spectacularly.

A batting line-up that's averaging less than even Oman or has a SR only better than UAE/Oman has no business playing international cricket. If anything, this just confirms the lack of talent in our country as we either have selfish individuals who can only survive at the crease or these intent merchants who don't have the ability to survive any decent bowling attack.

 

[Rana]

Haris as captain? He barely makes the team based on his performances

There you go.

You just reiterated my point.

Who does make the team on performances in T20?

Shaheen? So he should give up other formats to stay fresh for this format only?

Or Harris Rauf?? You want him as skipper?

Or Abrar Ahmed (hahahaahahahahahahahahahahahah)

Or Saim Ayub number 1 all rounder??

Who is a shoe in in T20 for you to make him captain?

 

[Usman Chadda]

There you go.

You just reiterated my point.

Who does make the team on performances in T20?

Shaheen? So he should give up other formats to stay fresh for this format only?

Or Harris Rauf?? You want him as skipper?

Or Abrar Ahmed (hahahaahahahahahahahahahahahah)

Or Saim Ayub number 1 all rounder??

Who is a shoe in in T20 for you to make him captain?

Shaheen and, to a certain extent, Shadab are the only ones that can be made captain.

With Agha, we are going in with ten players even before the toss.

 

[hassan918]

That was a great decision by him to bowl the first over himself.

 

[SpiritOf1903]

That was a great decision by him to bowl the first over himself.

And a brain-dead one selecting Shaheen who's been finished for a few years

 

[Kianig89]

Diabolical he chose to bowl with a spin heavy attack, reeks of being under confident and timid.

 

[Hawkeye]

This should be the end of his batting as well as captaincy.

Due to his technical deficiencies and limited range of shots, he will ALWAYS fail against any decent opposition and will deliver ZERO in ICC tournaments against any good opposition.

 

[Savak]

He has reached his ceiling. If the selectors are very honest, they will not retain him in the T-20 squad after the WC.

 

[RidiculousMan]

Ever since Salman took captaincy. The team's greatest achievement and win till date remains the 3rd T20I win against New Zealand away chasing 200+. When Hasan Nawaz scored the fastest 100 for Pakistan.

 

[Cover Drive Six]

4–0 thrashing against archrivals under his captaincy.
One more loss to India could put him on the brink of losing the captaincy. But if he wins, he will probably continue for another 3 tournaments.

 

[CricVet]

Diabolical he chose to bowl with a spin heavy attack, reeks of being under confident and timid.

How Babar's presence rubs off

 

[GudduBadmash]

4–0 thrashing against archrivals under his captaincy.
One more loss to India could put him on the brink of losing the captaincy. But if he wins, he will probably continue for another 3 tournaments.

Gotten a long enough run and been a very mediocre one too even if his deluded fans say he’s the next coming of Imran Khan. One of the most limited all format players to ever become captain of this national team

 

[nish_mate]

I might be wrong but he's the only Pakistani captain to have perfect record against India and use only 1 phaaast bowler and 6 different spinners...

He's a Shareef bachha, who's been made the class monitor by a clueless Chairman, whilst the reality demands a true chiittarmaar badmash to lead the kittens aspiring to morph into cornered tigers.

 

[bones]

I might be wrong but he's the only Pakistani captain to have perfect record against India and use only 1 phaaast bowler and 6 different spinners...

He's a Shareef bachha, who's been made the class monitor by a clueless Chairman, whilst the reality demands a true chiittarmaar badmash to lead the kittens aspiring to morph into cornered tigers.

These kittens cant even morph into headless chickens

 

[nish_mate]

These kittens cant even morph into headless chickens

Headless chicken di gaal hi galat aa,
sadde pine vich chicken seedha tandoori ya karahi ban ke hi mukda.
Je darrana ae BCCICC nu — pehlan billi ton sher bano, menu (kukad) item ton predator bano

 

[Asif321]

Knowing Shaheen is your ODI captain is even more scary

 

[BouncerGuy]

Mohammad Hafeez speaking during a TV SHOW:

“If I sum up the overall scenario honestly, we have fallen far behind India in cricket. We must accept this fact without any excuses. Our development has lagged, and as a cricketing nation, we are not committing to producing a complete product. India has raised its standards very high. They have set their representation by saying: “We must beat Australia in Australia, we must beat England in England—only then will we be considered.” We have not set such standards.”

“Looking at this match, there were technical blunders everywhere. It’s hard to mention just one mistake—I could list fifty. But overall, the technical errors stood out. Our resources were poorly utilized; the right tactics were not applied. On a tacky pitch, where finger spinners were getting grip and turn, you bowled two overs yourself. In those two overs, you dismissed Abhishek. You could see the ball was turning a little extra; there was something in it for the finger spinner. You gave away only 10 runs in those two overs, and on the last ball of your second over, Ishan Kishan top-edged one that unfortunately fell where no fielder was placed. But you should have understood: if in two overs you conceded just 10 runs and were bowling well, with two left-handers batting, why not bowl a third over? Why bring in a mystery spinner who was getting nothing from that pitch? If something is working, continue it—bowl a third, even a fourth over. Instead, you gave the sixth over to Saim Ayub, who is not your main bowler. That decision is beyond comprehension. You should bring in your best bowler, not someone who struggles to land the ball properly. He’s okay, but he’s not a frontline bowler.”

“What troubled me even more was seeing Mike Hesson come onto the ground in the sixth over. I thought maybe some tactical changes would be made. I felt that since India had already scored 47 runs in six overs and the match was slipping away with Ishan Kishan batting brilliantly, surely Usman Tariq would be brought in. He had bowled fantastically in previous games, proving his worth. But his usage here was poor. He was not deployed with an attacking mindset. He only came on after 10 overs, by which time the match was already gone. Ishan Kishan had scored 84 and essentially finished the game within the first nine overs. Why didn’t we realize the match was slipping away? Why save someone who was our trump card, our best bowler in this match? Why wait? These are captaincy errors, and Salman Ali Agha must take responsibility. The management sitting behind failed to feed this tactical input.”

“Then, moving to the batting, our underdeveloped skills were exposed again. Our players are not yet at the level required to play the attacking brand of cricket we claim. We haven’t prepared our short-range options. When we try to play aggressively, we cannot manage the opposition’s tactics. That’s the reality.”

“To me, the lesson is simple: set your standards to beat Australia in Australia. Until you do that, don’t expect Pakistan to beat India in India or in ICC events. If we want to defeat India in ICC tournaments, we must first prove we can beat Australia in Australia.”