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Salman Ali Agha - How do you rate him as T20I captain of Pakistan?

He can evolve his game in T20s, and that will only help him make ODI game even better which is his strongest format so far.
 
A very valuable player and a smart captain. Agha has a very good approach to the game and has a winning mentality.

PCB needs to back him to the hilt. He’s levels above the rest.
 
What’s important is the acceptance of “we must change or we are dead”.

Rizwan be like “we will not change because we don’t have to.”
 
Saud should be Test captain, Shaheen white ball captain and Agha VC in all formats. Let’s not complicate this.
 
Mamoon said:
Saud should be Test captain, Shaheen white ball captain and Agha VC in all formats. Let’s not complicate this.
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Yes, and Australia should immediately replace Inglis with Rizwan. They should not complicate this 🤡
 
mominsaigol said:
Might as well include Gilly as well. Why stop at Post Gilchrist?
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I’m not interested in trolling. Gilchrist is amongst the top two if not the best WK batsman ever, and Rizwan is clearly at not that level.

However, we should not be blind to the fact that Australia have completely failed to produce a world class WK batsman post his retirement in 2008 and Rizwan is better than all of them.
 
Mamoon said:
I’m not interested in trolling. Gilchrist is amongst the top two if not the best WK batsman ever, and Rizwan is clearly at not that level.

However, we should not be blind to the fact that Australia have completely failed to produce a world class WK batsman post his retirement in 2008 and Rizwan is better than all of them.
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Australia has failed to produced a world class keeper post gilly that's true. But rizwan isnt > a majority of them.

Carey is one of the best test and odi no 7's. Avg of 35 and sr of 90 is phenomenal in odi at no 7 which requires you to play mostly with the tail and perform quick hitting. Rizwan averages 11 at no 7.

His test stats could be a bit better though, since hes mostly a dasher in test with a 62 avg, however he has provided some solid finishes/leads/runs at that no. His innings in wtc 2023 was crucial for Aus victory.

He ensured an already out of reach total for india thanks to head and smith went even further. He mentally killed India in that day.

Inglis in the past was worse then rizwan but hes been consistently improving as an odi batsmen, his stats will only increase from here.

A solid 100 vs England in CT followed by a good test debut 100. His career is on an uphill trajectory while rizwan is already out of the t20 squad.
 
Mamoon said:
Saud should be Test captain, Shaheen white ball captain and Agha VC in all formats. Let’s not complicate this.
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Just because Shaheen captained Lahore to the PSL a few times doesn't mean he should be T20 captain. Shaheen has shown time and time again that he is deeply arrogant, stubborn and stuck in his ways. Whether you want to look at his spell against India in the Champions Trophy, the delusion of calling himself an all-rounder, or reports of him misbehaving with coaches and not heeding advice, it seems patently obvious that he is not someone who is cut out for being captain of the national team.

Even as a player there always seem to be question marks around his performance. The best bowlers in the world find ways to adapt and evolve after setbacks like injuries, still failing to understand what he has done to adapt since his knee-injury. Add to that the fact that he doesn't have the fitness for test cricket and was looking like your garden-variety trundler in the Champions Trophy.

If anything Shaheen needs to sit back ask himself what happened to a bowler who was supposed to be a generational talent? Because in last two years he has looked like the Temu version of that bowler.
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
Just because Shaheen captained Lahore to the PSL a few times doesn't mean he should be T20 captain. Shaheen has shown time and time again that he is deeply arrogant, stubborn and stuck in his ways. Whether you want to look at his spell against India in the Champions Trophy, the delusion of calling himself an all-rounder, or reports of him misbehaving with coaches and not heeding advice, it seems patently obvious that he is not someone who is cut out for being captain of the national team.

Even as a player there always seem to be question marks around his performance. The best bowlers in the world find ways to adapt and evolve after setbacks like injuries, still failing to understand what he has done to adapt since his knee-injury. Add to that the fact that he doesn't have the fitness for test cricket and was looking like your garden-variety trundler in the Champions Trophy.

If anything Shaheen needs to sit back ask himself what happened to a bowler who was supposed to be a generational talent? Because in last two years he has looked like the Temu version of that bowler.
Click to expand...
Shaheen has won 3 PSL trophies in 4 years. He is clearly doing something right. There is something about his leadership qualities that helps him uplift the team especially in crunch moments.

If he is not rewarded for this, then PCB is basically saying that they do not care about PSL performances and if they don’t, then there is no point in having a PSL in the first place.

Shaheen’s attitude and behavior have not been great over the last year or so and I don’t think anyone would dispute that, but we should not ignore the fact that PCB played a big part.

The way he was removed as captain after just one series that too right before a World Cup was ridiculous and frankly embarrassing. Anyone in Shaheen’s position would have been extremely offended and that would have reflected in his their behavior as well.

Shaheen was still available and willing to play. Some others in his position might have outright refused to play for Pakistan again and temporarily retired in retaliation.

Shaheen could have handled himself better but he doesn’t deserve to be treated like a villain here. He is more of a victim than a villain, but it’s been over a year and the scars have healed and everyone has moved on.

PCB should do the right thing and reward him for success as PSL captain and give him the opportunity to lead Pakistan in the 2026 and 2027 World Cups.
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
Just because Shaheen captained Lahore to the PSL a few times doesn't mean he should be T20 captain. Shaheen has shown time and time again that he is deeply arrogant, stubborn and stuck in his ways. Whether you want to look at his spell against India in the Champions Trophy, the delusion of calling himself an all-rounder, or reports of him misbehaving with coaches and not heeding advice, it seems patently obvious that he is not someone who is cut out for being captain of the national team.

Even as a player there always seem to be question marks around his performance. The best bowlers in the world find ways to adapt and evolve after setbacks like injuries, still failing to understand what he has done to adapt since his knee-injury. Add to that the fact that he doesn't have the fitness for test cricket and was looking like your garden-variety trundler in the Champions Trophy.

If anything Shaheen needs to sit back ask himself what happened to a bowler who was supposed to be a generational talent? Because in last two years he has looked like the Temu version of that bowler.
Click to expand...
You do realise why he now wants Shaheen to captain even though he had no issues when Babar backstabbed him for leadership in the first place?

It will then make Salman’s position questionable in the side, and then the PR campaigns will start to bring either Babar or Rizwan in place of Agha. The argument that the “one anchor” will be that it should be Babar because he is supposedly a superior batter to Agha.
 
Rana said:
You do realise why he now wants Shaheen to captain even though he had no issues when Babar backstabbed him for leadership in the first place?

It will then make Salman’s position questionable in the side, and then the PR campaigns will start to bring either Babar or Rizwan in place of Agha. The argument that the “one anchor” will be that it should be Babar because he is supposedly a superior batter to Agha.
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I didnt know mamoon and other rizbar supporters think so cunningly and plan far sightedly just to get their favorite player in the team.
 
cricfan432 said:
I didnt know mamoon and other rizbar supporters think so cunningly and plan far sightedly just to get their favorite player in the team.
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He wants Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen in the T20 XI at all cost, and one of the 3 to be the leader of the side.

He is either cunningly making way for his agenda to unfold, or he has to have his brain in his backside to think Hesson as coach will have a T20 XI consisting of Babar, Rizwan and Agha as 3 of his 6 batsmen.
 
Mamoon said:
Shaheen has won 3 PSL trophies in 4 years. He is clearly doing something right. There is something about his leadership qualities that helps him uplift the team especially in crunch moments.

If he is not rewarded for this, then PCB is basically saying that they do not care about PSL performances and if they don’t, then there is no point in having a PSL in the first place.

Shaheen’s attitude and behavior have not been great over the last year or so and I don’t think anyone would dispute that, but we should not ignore the fact that PCB played a big part.

The way he was removed as captain after just one series that too right before a World Cup was ridiculous and frankly embarrassing. Anyone in Shaheen’s position would have been extremely offended and that would have reflected in his their behavior as well.

Shaheen was still available and willing to play. Some others in his position might have outright refused to play for Pakistan again and temporarily retired in retaliation.

Shaheen could have handled himself better but he doesn’t deserve to be treated like a villain here. He is more of a victim than a villain, but it’s been over a year and the scars have healed and everyone has moved on.

PCB should do the right thing and reward him for success as PSL captain and give him the opportunity to lead Pakistan in the 2026 and 2027 World Cups.
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I'm not going to deny that what happened to him was a great injustice and no player should be subjected to that. But at some point you have to move on. And for me, you can't really evaluate his captaincy just on the surface. There are numerous examples of average or bad captains who have captained their team to success. His behavior ever since becoming a bigger star is what concerns me. It’s not the kind of temperament I’d want from a national captain. You can't have your captain losing his cool or resorting to bowling yorker after yorker despite being hit all over the park.

I mean just that spell he bowled against India in the Champions Trophy showed me that he is a low IQ individual. Madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. That feels like the only way you can describe his bowling sometimes. I’m not sure I’d want someone with that mindset leading the team. And on top of that, its not like he's Pat Cummins. You don't know when he will be injured or unavailable. He has already shown that he doesn't have the fitness for test cricket.

By contrast, Salman Agha comes across as a street-smart cricketer who carries himself well, understands the modern game, and knows how to keep his composure. I’d much rather see someone like him in a leadership role for Pakistan than Shaheen.
 
Rana said:
You do realise why he now wants Shaheen to captain even though he had no issues when Babar backstabbed him for leadership in the first place?

It will then make Salman’s position questionable in the side, and then the PR campaigns will start to bring either Babar or Rizwan in place of Agha. The argument that the “one anchor” will be that it should be Babar because he is supposedly a superior batter to Agha.
Click to expand...
Just taking his comments at face value. Can't speak to his intentions because I don't know him or his viewpoints that well.
 
Rana said:
You do realise why he now wants Shaheen to captain even though he had no issues when Babar backstabbed him for leadership in the first place?

It will then make Salman’s position questionable in the side, and then the PR campaigns will start to bring either Babar or Rizwan in place of Agha. The argument that the “one anchor” will be that it should be Babar because he is supposedly a superior batter to Agha.
Click to expand...
I think you should take up standup comedy 🤡

I said numerous times that Shaheen should not have been removed as captain in the first place but once that decision was made for whatever reason, Babar was the right choice at that time.

However, at this stage of his career, Babar does not need the distraction of captaincy. He still has 6-7 years of cricket left in him and he needs to fully focus on his batting.

That leaves Pakistan with three captaincy choices: Shaheen, Rizwan and Salman.

Rizwan is a very good captain and he was very unlucky with the injuries in the CT but ultimately, whatever the reasons, that tournament was a debacle and to ensure accountability, his position needs to be reviewed.

Shaheen is by far the front-runner for captaincy based on his success in PSL. He deserves to be the white ball captain now. I really like Salman, but for me, he needs to be the VC. He doesn’t deserve to captain ahead of Shaheen.

Also, you must be sleeping the other day when I wrote that Salman is one of the most underrated batsmen in the game. He is a quality player who scores consistently in all formats and knows his game so well.

For me, he is in the top 5 most valuable Pakistani cricketers at the moment along with Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen and Saud (Tests).

You are right about the fact that I want Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen to be in the team. They must be the first three names on the team sheet in all three formats (unless Shaheen is rotated for workload etc.) and I do not recognize any Pakistan team without these three as I am not interested in participating in any rubbish agendas.
 
Mamoon said:
I think you should take up standup comedy 🤡

I said numerous times that Shaheen should not have been removed as captain in the first place but once that decision was made for whatever reason, Babar was the right choice at that time.

However, at this stage of his career, Babar does not need the distraction of captaincy. He still has 6-7 years of cricket left in him and he needs to fully focus on his batting.

That leaves Pakistan with three captaincy choices: Shaheen, Rizwan and Salman.

Rizwan is a very good captain and he was very unlucky with the injuries in the CT but ultimately, whatever the reasons, that tournament was a debacle and to ensure accountability, his position needs to be reviewed.

Shaheen is by far the front-runner for captaincy based on his success in PSL. He deserves to be the white ball captain now. I really like Salman, but for me, he needs to be the VC. He doesn’t deserve to captain ahead of Shaheen.

Also, you must be sleeping the other day when I wrote that Salman is one of the most underrated batsmen in the game. He is a quality player who scores consistently in all formats and knows his game so well.

For me, he is in the top 5 most valuable Pakistani cricketers at the moment along with Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen and Saud (Tests).

You are right about the fact that I want Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen to be in the team. They must be the first three names on the team sheet in all three formats (unless Shaheen is rotated for workload etc.) and I do not recognize any Pakistan team without these three as I am not interested in participating in any rubbish agendas.
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Bari mehrbani aapki

Please recognise India, they can do with your recognition and the winning energy you bring.
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
Just because Shaheen captained Lahore to the PSL a few times doesn't mean he should be T20 captain. Shaheen has shown time and time again that he is deeply arrogant, stubborn and stuck in his ways. Whether you want to look at his spell against India in the Champions Trophy, the delusion of calling himself an all-rounder, or reports of him misbehaving with coaches and not heeding advice, it seems patently obvious that he is not someone who is cut out for being captain of the national team.

Even as a player there always seem to be question marks around his performance. The best bowlers in the world find ways to adapt and evolve after setbacks like injuries, still failing to understand what he has done to adapt since his knee-injury. Add to that the fact that he doesn't have the fitness for test cricket and was looking like your garden-variety trundler in the Champions Trophy.

If anything Shaheen needs to sit back ask himself what happened to a bowler who was supposed to be a generational talent? Because in last two years he has looked like the Temu version of that bowler.
Click to expand...
Your assessment is seriously flawed if you're going to brush aside the fact that he has won 3 out of 4 PSL Titles.

The behavior that you point out as being arrogant, delusional and misbehaving. Is the behavior that has won him trophies as captain.

I know post injury he hasn't been the old pacey Shaheen all the time. But over the past couple years he has had performances with the ball. More so than any other bowler for Pakistan I'd argue. He has had spells where he showed glimpses of his older self.

But the topic is on captaincy and him winning 3 out of 4 titles is the exact reason why he should be first considered as captain for T20Is for Pakistan should we need one.
 
RidiculousMan said:
Your assessment is seriously flawed if you're going to brush aside the fact that he has won 3 out of 4 PSL Titles.

The behavior that you point out as being arrogant, delusional and misbehaving. Is the behavior that has won him trophies as captain.

I know post injury he hasn't been the old pacey Shaheen all the time. But over the past couple years he has had performances with the ball. More so than any other bowler for Pakistan I'd argue. He has had spells where he showed glimpses of his older self.

But the topic is on captaincy and him winning 3 out of 4 titles is the exact reason why he should be first considered as captain for T20Is for Pakistan should we need one.
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Well I'm talking in specifics whereas you are talking on a surface level. Care to explain what those reasons are? because I have seen Shaheen make numerous tactical blunders all throughout this PSL season.

Winning a few franchise titles doesn’t automatically make someone a great captain, especially when much of it comes down to team strength and moments of individual brilliance. Leadership isn’t just about the silverware, it's about composure, clarity, and consistency. Arrogance, delusion, and erratic behavior aren’t the traits you want in a national team leader, they’re red flags.

Last time Shaheen played for Pakistan he was carted all over Mount Manganui by Finn Allen and Tim Seifert with consummate ease. Even this season in the PSL there were plenty of times when he was made to look like your average, garden variety trundler. He came back well in the play-offs but he is too inconsistent and is no longer a reliable bowler that Pakistan can bank on.

What I don't get is why we keep overhyping him when he has done absolutely nothing in the last few ICC tournaments, and can't even seem to play test cricket anymore. Maybe some fans are content with overhyping mediocrity, but I'm not.

Shaheen needs to improve his performance and bring his oversized ego back to planet earth before he should even think about something like the national team captaincy.
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
Well I'm talking in specifics whereas you are talking on a surface level. Care to explain what those reasons are? because I have seen Shaheen make numerous tactical blunders all throughout this PSL season.

Winning a few franchise titles doesn’t automatically make someone a great captain, especially when much of it comes down to team strength and moments of individual brilliance. Leadership isn’t just about the silverware, it's about composure, clarity, and consistency. Arrogance, delusion, and erratic behavior aren’t the traits you want in a national team leader, they’re red flags.

Last time Shaheen played for Pakistan he was carted all over Mount Manganui by Finn Allen and Tim Seifert with consummate ease. Even this season in the PSL there were plenty of times when he was made to look like your average, garden variety trundler. He came back well in the play-offs but he is too inconsistent and is no longer a reliable bowler that Pakistan can bank on.

What I don't get is why we keep overhyping him when he has done absolutely nothing in the last few ICC tournaments, and can't even seem to play test cricket anymore. Maybe some fans are content with overhyping mediocrity, but I'm not.

Shaheen needs to improve his performance and bring his oversized ego back to planet earth before he should even think about something like the national team captaincy.
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Nah. You don't personally know Shaheen either. You don't know what people in dressing room think of him.

What we know is that they think he's a leader in the dressing room and he has proved his Worth as a captain in T20I format. When it has mattered he has won his team titles.

I don't care what kind of a gentleman or hot headed or softie he is in front of camera or interviews.

Again on the topic of captaincy you bring in his bowling performances in international cricket and try to make a case that he is a mediocre captain.
 
Mamoon said:
Saud should be Test captain, Shaheen white ball captain and Agha VC in all formats. Let’s not complicate this.
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Shaheen is way too emotional and immature to captain the national side.

Agha should be made captain of white ball and should be given full backing by the board. The guy is leagues ahead of the others when it comes to maturity and awareness of the game
 
RidiculousMan said:
Nah. You don't personally know Shaheen either. You don't know what people in dressing room think of him.

What we know is that they think he's a leader in the dressing room and he has proved his Worth as a captain in T20I format. When it has mattered he has won his team titles.

I don't care what kind of a gentleman or hot headed or softie he is in front of camera or interviews.

Again on the topic of captaincy you bring in his bowling performances in international cricket and try to make a case that he is a mediocre captain.
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You mean I don't know that he's delusional enough to think he's an all-rounder? You mean I don't know that he's arrogant enough to keep bowling yorker after yorker eventhough the pitch has nothing and Shubman Gill is driving him all over the park? Nah. That's just common knowledge. The part about his bad behavior with coaches and not heeding advice is also widely known at this point and should be a serious red flag for anyone who is thinking about making him captain.

What you are saying would have any relevance if he was the pace spearhead that everyone expects him to be. But the simple reality is that this is Temu Shaheen Afridi. Not the Shaheen Afridi that everyone expects him to be.

I already made the case of him being a mediocre captain with all the things I listed above. He made a bunch of tactical blunders in the PSL too that everyone can taper over because Lahore won. Also, his bowling performance has everything to do with captaincy. If he isn't even performing, what would justify his place in the side? Have you learned nothing from the Shan Masood captaincy?
 
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