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Who should replace Salman Ali Agha as Pakistan's T20I captain?

Who should replace Salman Ali Agha as Pakistan's T20I captain?


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BouncerGuy

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Media reports suggest the PCB is seriously reconsidering Salman Ali Agha’s role as captain after a disappointing Asia Cup campaign. So—who should take the reins next?

Despite Pakistan reaching the final, Salman Ali Agha’s personal form and tactical decisions have come under fire. He managed just 72 runs in 7 matches at a strike rate of 80.89, with critics slamming his rash dismissals in key moments. The team also suffered three consecutive defeats to India, including in the final, further intensifying scrutiny.

Sources within the PCB reveal a growing divide: some officials back Agha’s continuation, while others are pushing for a fresh face ahead of the T20 World Cup. Names like Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, and even Babar Azam are being floated, though selectors reportedly prefer giving younger players more chances.

So, who should lead Pakistan into the next phase of T20 cricket?
 
Shaheen should be number 1 choice but of course we need shaheen the bowler more than the shaheen the captain .
I agree... Atm Shaheen is the only guy who makes it into the team and can be made captain... I see no other choice as captain.
 
Media reports suggest the PCB is seriously reconsidering Salman Ali Agha’s role as captain after a disappointing Asia Cup campaign. So—who should take the reins next?

Despite Pakistan reaching the final, Salman Ali Agha’s personal form and tactical decisions have come under fire. He managed just 72 runs in 7 matches at a strike rate of 80.89, with critics slamming his rash dismissals in key moments. The team also suffered three consecutive defeats to India, including in the final, further intensifying scrutiny.

Sources within the PCB reveal a growing divide: some officials back Agha’s continuation, while others are pushing for a fresh face ahead of the T20 World Cup. Names like Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, and even Babar Azam are being floated, though selectors reportedly prefer giving younger players more chances.

So, who should lead Pakistan into the next phase of T20 cricket?
so the guy who took a team against all odds to the final is being talked about getting sacked.....bravo PCB
 
Shaeen is only contender nothing against salman agha he's not a t20 player if rizwan and babar are recalled as expected than we cant have all three in a same team
 
That should be the burning question, he is definitely not worthy of a place

Fakhar Saim Babar the top 3 already picks themselves with Nawaz guaranteed as no 5 or 6, No. 4 is a very crucial place in team shall Usman step up at 4.

Hesson has to think that way
 
Pakistan won't find such a selfless individual like Salman. He is going through a bad patch just like SKY, should remain captain until 2026 T20 World Cup.
 
Pakistan won't find such a selfless individual like Salman. He is going through a bad patch just like SKY, should remain captain until 2026 T20 World Cup.
SKy achieved a lot before hit the rough patch though. Agha has never done at any level i think. I don't have stats of him in PSL. I doubt he did anything there. He will struggle to find a place in any of the Test playing nation.
 
SKy achieved a lot before hit the rough patch though. Agha has never done at any level i think. I don't have stats of him in PSL. I doubt he did anything there. He will struggle to find a place in any of the Test playing nation.
Looking at our Shaheens team, he will struggle to find a place in our domestic teams in T20 cricket.
 
Looking at our Shaheens team, he will struggle to find a place in our domestic teams in T20 cricket.
Not surprising. Not being selfish is a lie. He is very selfish. He comes in to bat when situation is convenient. Inspite of all that he is striking at 100 with poor average. Pakistan should replace him with some youngster.
 
Pakistan won't find such a selfless individual like Salman. He is going through a bad patch just like SKY, should remain captain until 2026 T20 World Cup.
It seems unlikely that we will see him captaining the side in the 2026 T20 world cup. He might not be even in the team. Shaheen looks like a good contender for the captaincy and if Shadab can make his place into the team, he might be the captain.
 
SKy achieved a lot before hit the rough patch though. Agha has never done at any level i think. I don't have stats of him in PSL. I doubt he did anything there. He will struggle to find a place in any of the Test playing nation.
Have you heard/read of a guy called Marvan Attapatu who went 11 innings in international cricket without scoring a run. Went on to become a run machine.

Salman comes across a selfless guy compared to self-centered Babar & Rizwan.
 
It seems unlikely that we will see him captaining the side in the 2026 T20 world cup. He might not be even in the team. Shaheen looks like a good contender for the captaincy and if Shadab can make his place into the team, he might be the captain.
As a neutral watching Pak cricket from outside, if there is captaincy change, politics will start all over again & the team will be divided into 2-3 camps.
 
Why don't Salman makes himself a floater and bat according to situation , he should ensure the rhythm of scoring doesn't gets halted by his stuttering approach
 
Shaheen has to captain in T20Is. That is a given.

Agha needs to be dropped from the team. And act as deputy to Shaheen in ODIs.
 
It seems unlikely that we will see him captaining the side in the 2026 T20 world cup. He might not be even in the team. Shaheen looks like a good contender for the captaincy and if Shadab can make his place into the team, he might be the captain.
No need to change captain few months before WC, this will destabilise the team and will start new round of politics. Shaheen still needs time, his own performance, team selection & captaincy is questionable.

Shadab should not get free captaincy ticket. He should play domestic cricket and earn his place back.
 
No need to change captain few months before WC, this will destabilise the team and will start new round of politics. Shaheen still needs time, his own performance, team selection & captaincy is questionable.

Shadab should not get free captaincy ticket. He should play domestic cricket and earn his place back.
Change inevitable. Whoever fails to perform just before the WT20 will be discarded for those who non performers who were out of the team.

These series don't matter. Only one that matters is just before the WT20. The PCB management works on recency bias
 
Kuch bhi. Okay so you want him to be selfish like Gill, Babar & Rizwan.
He is selfish. lol He just doesn't know how to bat in T20. He just tries to slot himself wherever he can statpad. But even that he is unable to do. Strike rate , boundary count, dot balls are clear indication whether someone is selfish. Agha is poor in every aspect of a T20 game. "Being unselfish" mean we will have to bring Pant in. He can keep slogging the air without connecting and go out with a strike rate of 120.
 
He is selfish. lol He just doesn't know how to bat in T20. He just tries to slot himself wherever he can statpad. But even that he is unable to do. Strike rate , boundary count, dot balls are clear indication whether someone is selfish. Agha is poor in every aspect of a T20 game. "Being unselfish" mean we will have to bring Pant in. He can keep slogging the air without connecting and go out with a strike rate of 120.
As a captain, he is winning every match except those 3 v India, no need to go back to failed experiments like Shadab & even Shaheen who iirc lost 1-4 in New Zealand not long ago.
 
Does he earn his place in the team as a player? That should be the first criteria, no?
No

captaincy and playing are two completely different roles. This isn’t gully-Mohalla cricket where you just make your best player the captain. Captaincy needs its own skill set. You can have a world-class player like Rizwan as captain and still not win a single game, or you can have an average player like Agha with captaincy skills and end up winning 20 out of 34 matches which is good result for a team like pakistan.
 
As a captain, he is winning every match except those 3 v India, no need to go back to failed experiments like Shadab & even Shaheen who iirc lost 1-4 in New Zealand not long ago.
I doubt Shaheen shah afridi would have lost those matches. His bowling changes were hopeless. He completely abandoned Nawaz in some matches. He randomly rotated the bowling. Randomly shuffled the batting order.
 
Whenever Agha made captaincy blunders his fans directed it towards hesson. WHenever it works then it is Agha. He is not that a good captain either.
 
No

captaincy and playing are two completely different roles. This isn’t gully-Mohalla cricket where you just make your best player the captain. Captaincy needs its own skill set. You can have a world-class player like Rizwan as captain and still not win a single game, or you can have an average player like Agha with captaincy skills and end up winning 20 out of 34 matches which is good result for a team like pakistan.
This is such a flawed logic. Can you name one captain in any country that is solely playing in any side due to his captaincy skills only forgetting their primary attribute which would be batting / bowling?

I'm not a hater of Agha. I personally believe he is a great addition to ODI and Tests for Pakistan and potential to be captain across both these formats. With T20s its obvious this is not his platform. PCB is a King when it comes to idiots. Where Agha should have been made captain of the ODI side they promoted Shaheen. And where Shaheen can be named as T20 captain they are sticking with Agha.

PCB reminds me of that famous meme where a kid riding a bike pokes a rod in his own bike eventually falling down and then blames the rod for his fall. PCB similar axes their own foot and then blames the circumstances / axe for their loss. What a clown organisation with zero vision.
 
Agha's captaincy record is skewed. If you break down who he won against who he lost agianst you will get a different picture

Let us look at Pakistan's performance under different captains against top teams and lowest ranked teams and associate teams

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This is such a flawed logic. Can you name one captain in any country that is solely playing in any side due to his captaincy skills only forgetting their primary attribute which would be batting / bowling?

I'm not a hater of Agha. I personally believe he is a great addition to ODI and Tests for Pakistan and potential to be captain across both these formats. With T20s its obvious this is not his platform. PCB is a King when it comes to idiots. Where Agha should have been made captain of the ODI side they promoted Shaheen. And where Shaheen can be named as T20 captain they are sticking with Agha.

PCB reminds me of that famous meme where a kid riding a bike pokes a rod in his own bike eventually falling down and then blames the rod for his fall. PCB similar axes their own foot and then blames the circumstances / axe for their loss. What a clown organisation with zero vision.
No, it’s not flawed logic at all. Players including captains can go through bad patches, it’s part of the game. But the double standards are clear Babar has been out of form for nearly five years and everyone tolerated it, backed him, and defended him at every step. Yet the moment it’s someone else, suddenly the expectations and patience disappear.

And regarding your question yes, countless captains in cricket history have had bad patches. Go check the records. Some of had bad patches for long stretches they struggled badly. But they were supported, and with time they turned around,

If we followed your logic of sacking captains after every few games then we will not have any captain for more than 6 months

same mistake we made with Sarfraz sacked him after a bad tournament and got the best player babar in and everyone seen how low Pakistan cricket went after that until Babar got sacked
 
No

captaincy and playing are two completely different roles. This isn’t gully-Mohalla cricket where you just make your best player the captain. Captaincy needs its own skill set. You can have a world-class player like Rizwan as captain and still not win a single game, or you can have an average player like Agha with captaincy skills and end up winning 20 out of 34 matches which is good result for a team like pakistan.
Not talking about being an avarage player or being the best player. The question was simple, does he earn his place in the XI as a player?

If he doesn't he isn't an average player.
 
When did Agha have a good patch in T20? lol He started playing T20 only last year. Almost the same time when he started captaining.
 
No, it’s not flawed logic at all. Players including captains can go through bad patches, it’s part of the game. But the double standards are clear Babar has been out of form for nearly five years and everyone tolerated it, backed him, and defended him at every step. Yet the moment it’s someone else, suddenly the expectations and patience disappear.

And regarding your question yes, countless captains in cricket history have had bad patches. Go check the records. Some of had bad patches for long stretches they struggled badly. But they were supported, and with time they turned around,

If we followed your logic of sacking captains after every few games then we will not have any captain for more than 6 months

same mistake we made with Sarfraz sacked him after a bad tournament and got the best player babar in and everyone seen how low Pakistan cricket went after that until Babar got sacked
Again you are putting forward a flawed logic. I did not say a good player with a bad patch cannot be the captain. What I'm saying is someone who is not suited to a particular format should not be playing that format let alone be the captain. I also asked you to name any such captain who should not be part of a particular format not only gets selected but is represented as captain as well.

Agha simply put is not a T20 batsman. In your opinion he is currently going through a bad patch which alludes that in the past he has significant T20 knocks / performances under his belt that cements his position in the T20 side. Can you even put through some of the performances from Agha in T20 format in the past that has overly impressive to staple him as a T20 batter? If the answer is you cannot even find past performances then its simple he does not warrant a T20 position let alone be a captain in it.

I'm reiterating one more time. I like Agha and he is a good find from the past 3-4 years. I certainly believe he is captaincy material for ODI and Tests going forward. However to shove T20 captaincy upon him is classic PCB doing clown antics and there is no other justification for it.
 
Again you are putting forward a flawed logic. I did not say a good player with a bad patch cannot be the captain. What I'm saying is someone who is not suited to a particular format should not be playing that format let alone be the captain. I also asked you to name any such captain who should not be part of a particular format not only gets selected but is represented as captain as well.

Agha simply put is not a T20 batsman. In your opinion he is currently going through a bad patch which alludes that in the past he has significant T20 knocks / performances under his belt that cements his position in the T20 side. Can you even put through some of the performances from Agha in T20 format in the past that has overly impressive to staple him as a T20 batter? If the answer is you cannot even find past performances then its simple he does not warrant a T20 position let alone be a captain in it.

I'm reiterating one more time. I like Agha and he is a good find from the past 3-4 years. I certainly believe he is captaincy material for ODI and Tests going forward. However to shove T20 captaincy upon him is classic PCB doing clown antics and there is no other justification for it.
ok give us a name who you want as a captain?
 
I said it previously it should have been Shaheen for T20s and Agha should have got ODI captaincy and would have taken over tests captaincy once Shan moves on.
It won't be a surprise to see Shaheen captaining the team in the 2026 world cup.
 
Pakistan wasted far too much time investing in dumb @sses like Babar and Rizwan in captaincy roles at domestic and PSL

Mohammad Nawaz
Faheem Ashraf
Saim Ayub
Sahibzada Farhan
Abrar Ahmed
Hassan Nawaz
Mohammad Harris
Khwaja Nafay

These boys should all be in leadership roles going forward. They need to be in the loop, groomed and ready to take over.

A captaincy roster of Babar, Shahdab, Saud, Rizwan, Agha, Shaheen etc. looks crap!

Especially Babar, Rizwan, Saud, Agha

WTH!!
 
I don't think his captaincy has been bad, his on-field calls have been pretty much sound but Pakistan in general have a poor death bowlers & the batting unit has been fragile despite the new comers either needing to adapt or not being good enough.

Babar's return in general has hurt Agha, as now he will need to accelerate his innings which is needed but on current form, he shouldn't be coming in No.4.

Ideally, they shouldn't have recalled Babar & stuck with Hasan Nawaz. I also understand the desire for fluidity, but Pakistan need an established XI to allow fluidity.

1. Saim Ayub
2. Sahibzada Farhan
3. Fakhar Zaman
4. Agha Ali Salman (C)
5. Hasan Nawaz
6. Usman Khan (WK)
7. M.Nawaz.
 
Pakistan’s T20 captains:

1. Shoaib Malik
2. Younis Khan
3. Shahid Afridi
4. Mohammad Hafeez
5. Sarfaraz Ahmed
6. Babar Azam
7. Shaheen Afridi
8. Mohammad Rizwan
9. Salman Agha



How many of them are actual T20 players historically?
 
Historically, the only players who actually were T20 cricketers and captain at the same time:

1. Shoaib Malik
2. Shahid Afridi
3. Shaheen Afridi

You can add Hafeez here if you want but at the time when he was captain, he was an average T20 player like Babar
 
I don't think his captaincy has been bad, his on-field calls have been pretty much sound but Pakistan in general have a poor death bowlers & the batting unit has been fragile despite the new comers either needing to adapt or not being good enough.

Babar's return in general has hurt Agha, as now he will need to accelerate his innings which is needed but on current form, he shouldn't be coming in No.4.

Ideally, they shouldn't have recalled Babar & stuck with Hasan Nawaz. I also understand the desire for fluidity, but Pakistan need an established XI to allow fluidity.

1. Saim Ayub
2. Sahibzada Farhan
3. Fakhar Zaman
4. Agha Ali Salman (C)
5. Hasan Nawaz
6. Usman Khan (WK)
7. M.Nawaz.
This is pretty decent lineup. Let me complete.

8. Faheem
9. Shaheen
10. Abrar
11. Salman
 
For the past decade or so, Pakistan cricket has a fetish of appointing useless players in T20 captaincy roles. Some examples:

1. Babar Azam
2. Mohammad Rizwan
3. Shan Masood
4. Saud Shaqeel
5. Sarfaraz Ahmed
6. Azhar Ali (my man was captain of Lahore Qalandars)
 
For the past decade or so, Pakistan cricket has a fetish of appointing useless players in T20 captaincy roles. Some examples:

1. Babar Azam
2. Mohammad Rizwan
3. Shan Masood
4. Saud Shaqeel
5. Sarfaraz Ahmed
6. Azhar Ali (my man was captain of Lahore Qalandars)
None of these players deserve a spot in T20. Rizwan @7 perhaps on slow turning wickets

Babar on faster surfaces, not in Asia.

Salman himself is not an ideal choice, but then who is the question.

Salman could be ODI captain and Shaheen T20 perhaps. Let see. To be honest, Salman and Babar, both have been drags in T20 format. I would pick Salman over Babar in a leadership role any day though if no choice.
 
3/0 blanked by India , now beating mid tiers teams for gun, he might think of himself as modern world Clive Lloyd or Ricky Ponting but the bubble will burst eventually :starc
 
Pakistan’s T20 captains:

1. Shoaib Malik
2. Younis Khan
3. Shahid Afridi
4. Mohammad Hafeez
5. Sarfaraz Ahmed
6. Babar Azam
7. Shaheen Afridi
8. Mohammad Rizwan
9. Salman Agha



How many of them are actual T20 players historically?
1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
 
Do you really think his batting is good enough?
Agha is not so great batsmen either in T20s. That way Suryakumar should have been the highest scorer for india in the recent Asia Cup. What matters is who leads the team to a win consistently. This is the very thought (should be great batsmen) that got Sarfaraz removed and Babar (being the great batsmen) was made captain and see what happened with PCT

I think Niazi is a gun fielder and have seen him hitting big in PSL. He was removed from T20s pretty quickly. Is it because of his surname?
 
Agha is not so great batsmen either in T20s. That way Suryakumar should have been the highest scorer for india in the recent Asia Cup. What matters is who leads the team to a win consistently. This is the very thought (should be great batsmen) that got Sarfaraz removed and Babar (being the great batsmen) was made captain and see what happened with PCT

I think Niazi is a gun fielder and have seen him hitting big in PSL. He was removed from T20s pretty quickly. Is it because of his surname?
Agha is also bad.

I agree Irfan’s fielding gives him the edge but he really needs to start scoring some runs as that is his main facet.
 
We should give him 3 years just like we gave that useless Misbah back in the days. Taaab tow koi nahy boltaaa tha
 
Agha is also bad.

I agree Irfan’s fielding gives him the edge but he really needs to start scoring some runs as that is his main facet.
Its best to give him chances like at least 8-10 matches or so imo. Same like how Saim Ayub is getting.

Maybe groom his on the sidelines as a replacement captain
 
Happy Birthday skipper!

It’s been a great year of T20s under your captaincy buddy!
 
Happy Birthday skipper!

It’s been a great year of T20s under your captaincy buddy!

Certainly can't fault his leadership and how he's united his squad. In sha Allah, his batting will improve in the shortest format. This guy has good intentions and giving his 100%, so he deserves all the success.
 
Leadership and mindset matters. Even though the guy isn’t as capable, his boys are doing what he intended for them to do!
 

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Well done Hesson/Aqib. You’ve created a pool of decent players for us! Some great players in the Shaheen’s. Talented players like Nawaz, Harris and Nafay also in the pipeline!

Well done guys!
 
Absolutely terrible batter in t20s also sending Nawaz and Fahim ahead of Fakhar is another terrible decision.
 
Salman Agha is a terrible T20 batsman and bowler, and his captaincy has been fairly average as well. But sadly looking at the list of potential replacements, it's hard to back any of them to do a better job.
 
Salman Agha featured in every match Pakistan played across formats in 2025, setting a new record for most international appearances in a calendar year.

54 games for him this year, and he might play a few more... Rahul Dravid played 53 in 1999.
 
Babar should be back as T20 captain period.

No idea why they removed him before considering he took us to one semi and one final which Agha could only dream to do
 
Babar should be back as T20 captain period.

No idea why they removed him before considering he took us to one semi and one final which Agha could only dream to do
He doesn't even fit in t20 team
And you want to make him captain to lose against USA and Zimbabwe

Not happening
 
Babar should be back as T20 captain period.

No idea why they removed him before considering he took us to one semi and one final which Agha could only dream to do
Babar failed miserably in 2022 T20 WCs and Pakistan lost 2021 WC SF against Aus because of slow batting by Babar & Rizwan. Babar deserve to be dropped from T20s and he is also a passenger in tests & ODIs in last 4 years. He is still in the team just because of his fan following, performance wise he is zilch.
 
Babar failed miserably in 2022 T20 WCs and Pakistan lost 2021 WC SF against Aus because of slow batting by Babar & Rizwan. Babar deserve to be dropped from T20s and he is also a passenger in tests & ODIs in last 4 years. He is still in the team just because of his fan following, performance wise he is zilch.
Salman's performance isn't zilch??? Saim???
 
Salman's performance isn't zilch??? Saim???
Yes Salman has also failed in T20s and I believe after some point he will be dropped from T20s, but you need stability at this point. .

Salman is doing amazing job in ODIs & Tests and performed better than Babar.

Babar is failing since 4-5 years and is still expecting preferential treatment like opening spot in T20s. For how long his failures will be tolerated?
 
Yes Salman has also failed in T20s and I believe after some point he will be dropped from T20s, but you need stability at this point. .

Salman is doing amazing job in ODIs & Tests and performed better than Babar.

Babar is failing since 4-5 years and is still expecting preferential treatment like opening spot in T20s. For how long his failures will be tolerated?
Salman's odi and test performance being equalized for Babar in T20?? LOL

Bro.. What???
 
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