Salman Ali Agha takes charge as Pakistan's new T20I captain as PCB ushers in a new era - captaincy performance watch thread

[FearlessRoar]

Salman Ali Agha has been named Pakistan’s T20I captain, with Shadab Khan as vice-captain, for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand from 16-26 March. Mohammad Rizwan will continue as ODI captain, with Salman serving as his deputy for the three 50-over matches scheduled at the backend of the tour from 29 March to 5 April.

The decision to appoint Salman and Shadab as T20I captain and vice-captain, respectively, has been made with an eye on two major upcoming tournaments - the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 (September 2025) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (February/March 2026). Salman previously led Pakistan in a T20I series against Zimbabwe last year, winning 2-1.

Has Pakistan entered a new T20I era with Salman Ali Agha as captain?

 

[FearlessRoar]

Salman Ali Agha during the press conference on his appointment as Pakistan's new T20I captain:

"We have already mentioned that we will work within the pool of 24-25 players, and from there, we will move forward with them. The brand of cricket we are going to play is high-risk. There will be failures in it, as I have said before, and Aaqib Bhai has also mentioned that we have to back these players. The kind of cricket we are playing will have failures because it is high-risk cricket, and failures come with it. The world’s teams do the same; they back their players. We will also back them, and from this pool of 24-25 players, InshaAllah, you will see players in the Asia Cup and World Cup in the future."

"Our goal is the Asia Cup and the World Cup. When your goal is set like this, you don’t think about what will happen in this series or the next. So, I am not thinking about that at all. I am only thinking about how to make the team play the way we want and how to instill the approach we are talking about. My focus is on that. My goal is the Asia Cup and the World Cup, and the series we play in between are only preparation for that."

"This is a team game. In a team, decisions are made through consultation. The playing XI or team selection is done collectively by the selectors, coaches, and captain. No one person can make decisions alone because this is a team game. That’s how the playing XI will be formed too."

"As for me, Lahore is my hometown, so yes, I do regret not playing the semi-final here. We did not play good cricket, which is why we are not here. But regret alone does not help; life moves on, and we must look forward."

 

[shah_1]

No interest in PCT anymore

Nothing excites you as a fan, boring and selfish cricketers

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

why Babar and Rizwan not dropped from ODIs what have they done @Rana

 

[W63L35]

Salman Agha's captaincy records so far....

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Salman Agha's captaincy records so far....

View attachment 151643

too small sample.. PCB looking to start a new era?

 

[Rana]

why Babar and Rizwan not dropped from ODIs what have they done @Rana

The argument here is that Rizwan is a good ODI captain because he beat Australia and South Africa in their countries. They don't think the players are wrong apparently.

 

[W63L35]

too small sample.. PCB looking to start a new era?

Keep in mind, he was appointed to lead T20 side after having played in only 2 matches.... that sample size was even smaller than 4 matches he has captained the team.

 

[Kianig89]

Chalakian

Avg 10 , SR 79.4 , T20 Captain for you @Rana

Condolences to you , PCB didn't gave a hoot to freaking mentatility
Better to have chalak players then the duffers who your Rana bhai often supports.

 

[Major]

Im not sure if he is a good captain or not. What is his record?

Maybe its a good decision or a bad one, so lets give time to this.

Meanwhile bringing Shadab back as vice captain was not needed. Anyways, watch how at IU Shadab will do chamchagiri of Salman now

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Salman Ali Agha has been named Pakistan’s T20I captain, with Shadab Khan as vice-captain, for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand from 16-26 March. Mohammad Rizwan will continue as ODI captain, with Salman serving as his deputy for the three 50-over matches scheduled at the backend of the tour from 29 March to 5 April.

The decision to appoint Salman and Shadab as T20I captain and vice-captain, respectively, has been made with an eye on two major upcoming tournaments - the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 (September 2025) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (February/March 2026). Salman previously led Pakistan in a T20I series against Zimbabwe last year, winning 2-1.

Has Pakistan entered a new T20I era with Salman Ali Agha as captain?

four T20 captains in 1 year .. PCB circus will continue..

Babar > Shaheen > Babar again > Rizwan > now Agha > next series will be Shadab ...

Crazy Naqvi and Aaqib... Remember this is exactly what Aaqib did with LQ until they win under Shaheen..

Here is the whole list



So wait for more circus with Aaqib, major surgery should be get rid of this guy...

PCB every now and then bring someone to disrupt/destroy/self-destruct themselves.. Misbah or Waqar or Aaqib one by one in a cycle...

PCT and PCB is a joke , fans should be happy with a few wins here and there and not expect them to lift any trophies unless they play a series against Zimbabar or C or D side from the top teams...

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Naqvi is on full flow with his regional bias.. The first move was to pluck captaincy from Shaheen and give it to Babar

Started initially with Wahab and signed to renowned coaches and then discarded them for Aaqib Javed.. Only UAE had him as head coach and then its Pak giving him full power

 

[jnaveen1980]

Is he a good T20 player ?

 

[BunnyRabbit]

four T20 captains in 1 year .. PCB circus will continue..

Babar > Shaheen > Babar again > Rizwan > now Agha > next series will be Shadab ...

Crazy Naqvi and Aaqib... Remember this is exactly what Aaqib did with LQ until they win under Shaheen..

Here is the whole list

View attachment 151654

So wait for more circus with Aaqib, major surgery should be get rid of this guy...

PCB every now and then bring someone to disrupt/destroy/self-destruct themselves.. Misbah or Waqar or Aaqib one by one in a cycle...

PCT and PCB is a joke , fans should be happy with a few wins here and there and not expect them to lift any trophies unless they play a series against Zimbabar or C or D side from the top teams...

Funny that the likes of Wiese got to captain LQ but not Rashid Khan (who has a fairly good record as captain for Afghanistan)

 

[Devadwal]

Salman Agha is not a T20 player's . He is more suitable for odi and test cricket

 

[BouncerGuy]

Mike Hesson speaking on his YouTube channel:

"Pakistan cricket have never been short of talent. In fact, it never has been. What it does lack, however, are three key things: continuity, leadership, and patience."

"The question everyone's asking is, can Salman make Pakistan cricket great again? Well, I think the answer in short is yes, he can, but only if he's given really sound support."

"When I think of Salman Ali Agha, I think about the time that I spent with him coaching him at Islamabad United, and there are three words that spring to mind: composed, game awareness, and tactical flexibility."

"He was composed under pressure. So even out in the park at the highest pressure situation, he was very calm. He was methodical in terms of how he went about things."

"The type of leader Pakistan needs is quite an inclusive one, one that actually can communicate with the rest of that leadership group, can get the best out of them, can back the young players coming into the squad and support them, and really drive the team in a direction that he wants Pakistan cricket to go."

"For me, these are key parts of leadership, and Salman Ali Agha certainly aligns with all three of those."

"For me, the most important one is around having tactical clarity. And the reason why I talk about that is it's when you're under the immense pressure of a game and the game's going one way or another, you have to have real clarity and confidence in the way you want the team to operate, and you can't be swayed by pressure, and you have to be able to instill that confidence in the rest of your team."

"The biggest part of tactical clarity for me is around role definition, making sure that everybody in the team understands their role, the expectations that Salman has of those players, and therefore they will be judged accordingly. Your role is defined by what does that team need from me at this moment in time. Your captain has to drive that. Your captain has to be part of that and understanding what everybody in the team is expected to do. Therefore, you're not asking somebody to do something that they haven't practiced first and foremost, and they're not very confident in terms of executing."

"You can only have that if obviously you have technical clarity in the style of play that you know you want the team to play."

"What's the PCB's role in this appointment and what's their role in actually making sure that Salman Ali Agha has a good chance of being successful?. They have to actually give him some authority. They actually have to give him some control to make decisions. The selection committee has to be on board. All you need from this from the PCB is real stability, real support, and real continuity."

"The challenge for the PCB to support the Pakistan cricket team is to make sure that they are able to keep that [media noise] away from the team."

"The key from the PCB point of view is making sure that that there does not influence decisions. They make sure that they're very well aware of the direction the team's going and absolutely they challenge that from time to time behind closed doors, but they certainly don't do it out in the public."

"If they trust him, then they need to support them and they need to give them the time and the support to make definite change to Pakistan cricket. Define roles that are aligned to the modern game. Forget names. Define the roles you want. These are the roles we need to fill. Pakistan at the moment are miles behind in terms of the style of play in white ball cricket, so it's actual"

 

[G0rmintAunty]

Funny that the likes of Wiese got to captain LQ but not Rashid Khan (who has a fairly good record as captain for Afghanistan)

I don't think Rashid Khan ever played a full season for LQ, he was mostly there for a few games before he had international duty or had a rest to prepare for the IPL.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Misbah-ul-Haq during a TV show on a local channel:

"We saw Salman Ali Agha’s development. When the requirement was 100-plus, we saw how he handled the pressure."

"His sample size in T20 cricket is still small, but whenever I have watched him play, he has adjusted well to the situation. He plays attacking cricket and moves forward aggressively."

"Having a player like him in the middle order, especially someone who plays spin well, is a big advantage. With the Asia Cup and the World Cup both taking place in Asian conditions, a player of his caliber—who can adapt to different match situations and handle spin effectively—is extremely valuable."

"He is a smart cricketer with the right mindset. He has an attacking approach—let’s see how it goes."

"In the white-ball Champions Cup tournament, he couldn’t play due to injury. The main complaint about him has been that he doesn’t bowl long spells. But I believe the real purpose of bringing him here is to influence the team's mindset—to shift it slightly and bring a more attacking approach."

 

[Kianig89]

Salman Ali Agha is a player that is ever improving and that's the biggest plus, however with being captain he will play the role of dead anchor in team. No problem with it , as long as the team benefits and wins game.

May be Salman will prove that not always slambang hit and throw approach works, then radicals will have no place to hide

 

[shamaan]

Is he a good T20 player ?

Not his best format but he should bat at 3/4 plus he's a decent part time spinner.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Ahmed Shehzad during an interaction with the media:

"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."

"There has been no change in the team that lost in the ICC Champions Trophy."

"It seems that some players are untouchable. The cricket board should have made public decisions instead."

 

[Rana]

Calm down Shazzy calm down

They will dig their own graves my boy

 

[Cover Drive Six]

PCB should have considered Saim as a captain, he is calm and mature, similar to Rohit.

 

[Asif321]

I’m big fan of this guy . He is real sher Dil . Hopefully they will continue with him . He can be a good ODI captain too .

 

[shah9425]

Too early to judge let see his captaincy for few more matches to make a conclusion

 

[Major]

We won because of his captaincy.

Had this been rizwan or babar, they would had played 3 pacers here.

He saw the pitch, seleçted 3 spinners and we won.

If Agha continues this, pick sides based on conditions and not oppositions, he could win us an icc trophy.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Salman Ali Agha speaking during the press conference ahead of the Asia Cup:

“We're playing good cricket. We started that a few months ago—like four or five months ago—and now things are coming together. As a team, I think we're playing good cricket, and we are looking forward to this tournament as well. Everyone is very excited.”

When asked about how the team is shaping up?

“It's been good. We are playing very good cricket. Over the last almost four months, we have won three series out of four. So, we are doing really well as a team, and at the same time, we are very excited. For most of us, it's going to be the first big tournament like this, but we are very excited. I know it's going to be challenging, but we are up to that challenge.”

About the advantage of UAE pitches:

“Most of us have played PSL here and many other series as well. So, it's hard to say that we have an advantage, but yeah, we know the conditions—let's put it that way. We know the conditions, and we know what it takes to do well in the UAE. So yeah, I don't think it's an advantage, but we know the conditions very well.”

About the Tri-series win and India being the favorite to win the Asia Cup:

“In T20s, I don't really think anyone is a favorite because on any given day, you have to play good cricket—it's a very fast game and things can change within an hour or two. The tri-series was always preparation for the Asia Cup, and the environment around it was focused on winning that tournament. So, I meant that even if we won the tri-series, great—but if not, the goal remains the same: come here, play good cricket, and win the Asia Cup, because that series was always meant to prepare us for this challenge.”

About keeping the aggression in control during the India-Pakistan game:

“If someone wants to be aggressive in the field, they're more than welcome to do that. When it comes to fast bowlers, they're always aggressive and you can't stop them—that's what keeps them going. So, whoever wants to be aggressive in the field is more than welcome. From my side, there's no instruction to anyone as long as it stays within the boundaries of the game.”​

 

[Ball Blazer]

Shahid Afridi slams Salman Ali Agha's captaincy

Shahid Afridi has slammed the Pakistan cricket management’s decision to appoint Salman Agha as the captain of the T20I team. Under Agha’s leadership, Pakistan has struggled and faced intense criticism from former players and cricket pundits.

Agha was handed the T20I captaincy during the late 2024 tour of Zimbabwe and is now leading the side in the 2025 Asia Cup, where his captaincy has come under heavy scrutiny.

Under his command, Pakistan has lost both of their matches against India in the tournament. They went down by seven wickets in the group stage and were defeated again in the Super Four clash by six wickets, leaving fans and experts frustrated.

"Koi baat nahi, time lo, soch ke decision lo, aur phir us bande ko sahi jagah pe bitha do, decision sahi ho jayenge. Ab Salman Ali Agha mujhe, ab aap soch lo, Salman Ali Agha mujhe bahut pasand hai. ODIs ke andar, haan, agar aap kahoge captain to main Salman Ali Agha ka naam lunga [It’s okay, take your time, make a decision after thinking, and then put the right person in the right place — the decisions will turn out fine. Now, as for Salman Ali Agha, you know, I really like him. In ODIs, yes, if you ask me for a captain, I would take Salman Ali Agha’s name]," Afridi said.

"Ab T20 ke andar, ek captain bana diya jiska strike rate sirf 79 hai. Toh 79 ke strike rate ko aap kaise captain bana rahe ho? Ye dusron ke liye kya example set karega ki kitna fast khelna hai? [Now, in T20s, you’ve made a captain whose strike rate is only 79. How can you make someone with a 79 strike rate a captain? What kind of example does that set for others on how fast they should play?]"

"Toh kehne ka matlab ye hai ki time lo, jo bhi captain banana hai, time lo. Koi jaldi mat karo, aur jaldi bhi nahi hai. Aage, Rizwan ko continue kar lete hain, koi problem nahi hai, aur phir decide karenge. Ek team mate hai woh. [So the point is — take time when choosing a captain. Don’t rush, there’s no hurry. Moving forward, we can continue with Rizwan, it’s no problem, and then decide later. He is a teammate after all]," the former Pakistan captain added.

Pakistan will now face Sri Lanka in their next Super Four clash on Tuesday.

'Captain bana diya jiska strike rate sirf ... ': Shahid Afridi blasts Pakistan Cricket Board over Salman Agha's appointment | Cricket News - The Times of India

Cricket News: Shahid Afridi has strongly criticised Pakistan cricket management's decision to appoint Salman Agha as T20I captain, citing Agha's low strike rate of

timesofindia.indiatimes.com