Why is Salman Ali Agha considered a modern T20 hero compared to Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan?

[Cricket Warrior]

Can someone explain the difference in T20 batting styles between Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Agha Salman? Not talking about stats or records.. just want to get a feel for how each of them plays differently in this format. What makes Agha stand out? Why do people see him as a modern day T20 ‘hero’ when intent, aggression, and adaptability matter so much these days?

Just look at his SR in T20 format:

 

[mominsaigol]

Can someone explain the difference in T20 batting styles between Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Agha Salman? Not talking about stats or records.. just want to get a feel for how each of them plays differently in this format. What makes Agha stand out? Why do people see him as a modern day T20 ‘hero’ when intent, aggression, and adaptability matter so much these days?

He can bowl, is willing to bat lower down the order, is willing to be flexible with batting orders, can bat in all formats and can be considered as an all format captain, works with Hesson and hasnt caused any problems etc etc

 

[Rana]

Because unlike the cowards Babar and Rizwan, he doesn’t misuse his power to inflate his sr by playing in the powerplay.

How is that hard to understand?

 

[RidiculousMan]

Can someone explain the difference in T20 batting styles between Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Agha Salman? Not talking about stats or records.. just want to get a feel for how each of them plays differently in this format. What makes Agha stand out? Why do people see him as a modern day T20 ‘hero’ when intent, aggression, and adaptability matter so much these days?

Because he is willing to improve and change. He is sacrificing his batting spot for the team. He is taking the heat by putting himself in most uncomfortable positions.

That's why. That's why he is different to Rizwan and Babar in T20 format.

 

[Mamoon]

This Salman Agha drama will also end soon. I have nothing again him. He is a good player and seems like a good person too, but he doesn’t deserve the pedestal that PCB has put him on.

He is nothing more than a good player. He is not a captain or a leader. For some reason PCB have decided to make him their new daddy and it will end in tears because he has been given more than what he deserves.

Shaheen is the best white ball captain in Pakistan and Agha, at best, should be his side-kick.

 

[Major]

Babar and Rizwan failed to improve or show intent in their batting.

Salman Agha is a proper batter, but he shows intent, takes the risk to score runs. He made his name in t20 through Isb United, where they grabbed him up in the draft and played in a very important position where he can anchor the innings and can shift gears.
Even in a few international games, he showed intent. Now when i say intent, i dont mean just swinging the bat. What i mean is that going after the weaker bowlers to score runs, trying to attack when the run rate is rising.

Babar and Rizwan dont bother to increase the run rate or give cameos. They go on the pitch with a mind that they will bat for 20 overs. The problem with that approach is that they might be scoring runs in the first few overs, but then by the 8th or 9th over, they will slow down and eat up balls.

Plus, they both havent bother to improve.

The Babar we saw under Mickey is not there anymore. Back than Babar was scoring runs, trying to build a name for himself. But now, he goes for the safe approach towards his runs, he tends to slow down near milestones.

Rizwan, was flawed, but than under Misbah, he developed a game plan with how to his flaws to his advantages and developed few shots in his aresenal to get himself off pressure. Rizwan, like Agha, used to show intent when he was trying to prove himself.

What Babar and Rizwan need to remember is that in t20 cricket spots are temporary, and you cant keep ur spots forever. You will need to keep fixing your game to return.

Right now, Pakistan cannot afford 3 anchors, so from these 3 Agha is the best option. Rizwan needs to go towards the Hafeez route, where he needs to develop his shots and not aim for long innings but for cameos. Both these guys need to forget about opening slots. Opening is not for them anymore. They need to come down the order and have cameo roles.

Babar spot would had made sense if he was as good as Kohli who can change the games complextion by being on the pitch. But Babar is not that type of player.

 

[Kianig89]

But but but he shows intent by playing at SR of 116 , pathetic logic.

 

[mominsaigol]

Where was this backwas when you were happily twerking like like Nicki Manage at the time when Shaheen was being removed after 1 series?

Chawwal hypocrite

Even Javed Afridi has realised that Babar aint becoming captain again

 

[Rana]

Even Javed Afridi has realised that Babar aint becoming captain again

But Javed Afridi’s bag lifter still can’t get over it here

 

[Rana]

Right now, Pakistan cannot afford 3 anchors

Great post Oppenheimer saab but in which century/decade of T20 could Pakistan afford 3 anchors??

 

[shamaan]

Can someone explain the difference in T20 batting styles between Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Agha Salman? Not talking about stats or records.. just want to get a feel for how each of them plays differently in this format. What makes Agha stand out? Why do people see him as a modern day T20 ‘hero’ when intent, aggression, and adaptability matter so much these days?

Agha has been batting in the middle plus he can bowl.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Salman Agha has been so disappointing of late, it appears even he isn't a good choice anymore

 

[jnaveen1980]

Regardless of his good intentions his strike rate in T20 is ancient.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Not in favor of Babar and Rizwan playing the T20 format is understandable but bringing Salman Agha in thinking he’ll do wonders in T20s is absolute stupidity.

Just look at his career stats in T20I cricket... his strike rate is 115.93 which is even worse than Babar and Rizwan. So what’s the point of keeping him in the T20 squad?

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Not in favor of Babar and Rizwan playing the T20 format is understandable but bringing Salman Agha in thinking he’ll do wonders in T20s is absolute stupidity.

Just look at his career stats in T20I cricket... his strike rate is 115.93 which is even worse than Babar and Rizwan. So what’s the point of keeping him in the T20 squad?

May be he knows how to flatter Naqvi lol

 

[Cricket Warrior]

He can bowl, is willing to bat lower down the order, is willing to be flexible with batting orders, can bat in all formats and can be considered as an all format captain, works with Hesson and hasnt caused any problems etc etc

But he can't be there just for his bowling ability because the main issue still remains... he can't bat with a modern day strike rate.

A strike rate of 115 is not good enough especially when you are promoting the slogan of building a team with better intent players.

My point is he should also be limited to ODIs and Test cricket just like Babar and Rizwan. He's no different from them.

 

[gazza619]

Agha is the type of T20 player that if he is not in the squad, you won’t even notice that he is not in the squad. A very forgettable T20 player and a cheap version of Saleem Malik.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

But he can't be there just for his bowling ability because the main issue still remains... he can't bat with a modern day strike rate.

A strike rate of 115 is not good enough especially when you are promoting the slogan of building a team with better intent players.

My point is he should also be limited to ODIs and Test cricket just like Babar and Rizwan. He's no different from them.

what u say @Rana sahab?

 

[TeymurBlake]

He's open to innovative his game. He looks to be an anchor if necessary or be explosive. However I do like him at No.4 as the senior experience batter before Hasan Nawaz.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

He's open to innovative his game. He looks to be an anchor if necessary or be explosive. However I do like him at No.4 as the senior experience batter before Hasan Nawaz.

I’ve hardly seen him go explosive in this format tbh.. don't remember any of his inning!

 

[TeymurBlake]

I’ve hardly seen him go explosive in this format tbh.. don't remember any of his inning!

When I mean explosive innings, I mean knocks where he takes the attack to the opposition. He doesn't look to consume dot balls and tries to be more proactive.

 

[Rana]

what u say @Rana sahab?

What did Kirsten want to do?

He wanted to make Harris the captain of the T20 team. Is there any denying Harris’s T20 batting capability when you compare him to Agha, Rizwan and Babar?

What was the reaction by the usual clowns at the time when this news broke out? You people (not necessarily you) cannot handle a proper T20 batter/risk taker as the leader.

You guys want a mature, level headed guy. Agha is the only one willing to compromise and let the young guns plus heavy tanks (Farhan+Fakhar) go up top!

Make Saud captain and you will have the same issue that you have with Agha, and Saud will have to open. You won’t like that

Make Shadab captain and you will find the Shoda doing the same things as RizBar! And he is a lallu bowler.

Make Shaheen captain and then cry about his immaturity and the way he thinks impulsively

Who will you people be happy with??

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Nobody has said he is a hero. He's a hard worker who has tried to adapt his game. Whether he will be successful long term or not is another question. But nobody has proclaimed him as a messiah.

 

[topspin]

Can someone explain the difference in T20 batting styles between Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Agha Salman? Not talking about stats or records.. just want to get a feel for how each of them plays differently in this format. What makes Agha stand out? Why do people see him as a modern day T20 ‘hero’ when intent, aggression, and adaptability matter so much these days?

Just look at his SR in T20 format:

View attachment 156519

Not great but still better than Misbah's T20I SR of 110.

If Misbah didn't possess the power game he had and actually resembled Salman Agha in this aspect of his game then chances are his SR would be less than run a ball.

It's Misbah 110 SR in T20Is and zero ODI hundreds that actually needs to be studied.

 

[Major]

Great post Oppenheimer saab but in which century/decade of T20 could Pakistan afford 3 anchors??

When 150 to 160 used to be a decent score to defend in t20 cricket.

Back than cameo players also didnt existed cause players used to focus on getting in to the longer formats.

If one reflects back, during last 3-4 years t20 cricket has evolved and gone wild.

Now it sucks how IPL discriminates against Pakistan, or else i would have loved to watch a week of IPL games just to understand what influence their impact player role has had.

My assumption is that the impact player role in IPL has influenced cricket alot. Players that can play 10 ball innings are having more impact.

 

[Major]

Nobody has said he is a hero. He's a hard worker who has tried to adapt his game. Whether he will be successful long term or not is another question. But nobody has proclaimed him as a messiah.

Thats the thing. Agha tried to adapt his game to the situation and thats why fans are loving him.

As long as he does that, he will get support. But the moment he starts eating up deliveries, he will become hated.

 

[Major]

Also for the captaincy part. I think none of them have proven to be good captains.

All of them are more focussed on their own media portrayals. The decision making has been very bad. This includes Babar, Shadab, Shaheen, Rizwan and Agha.

Even right now in US, they are still not using spinners on those tracks just because on media they wont be portrayed as aggressive captains but as defensive ones.

This is where i respect the indian cricket strategy. All their lives, they had trudlers, so they were forced to field a bowling line up based on conditions. Even now, India has pacers, but even now, when conditions are for spinners, these guys are not afraid from using even 5 spinners.

The cricket strategy making lacks on our side, and its all about playing and looking good and aggressive for social media.

 

[Mamoon]

Salman Agha has a strike rate of 115 in T20Is. What so-called adaptability and innovation?

 

[cricfan432]

Because of intent and aggressive mindset irregardless of deficiencies in his batting for t20. Thats why he is better captain and suited for one anchor role we need in team

 

[RidiculousMan]

Babar and Rizwan failed to improve or show intent in their batting.

Salman Agha is a proper batter, but he shows intent, takes the risk to score runs. He made his name in t20 through Isb United, where they grabbed him up in the draft and played in a very important position where he can anchor the innings and can shift gears.
Even in a few international games, he showed intent. Now when i say intent, i dont mean just swinging the bat. What i mean is that going after the weaker bowlers to score runs, trying to attack when the run rate is rising.

Babar and Rizwan dont bother to increase the run rate or give cameos. They go on the pitch with a mind that they will bat for 20 overs. The problem with that approach is that they might be scoring runs in the first few overs, but then by the 8th or 9th over, they will slow down and eat up balls.

Plus, they both havent bother to improve.

The Babar we saw under Mickey is not there anymore. Back than Babar was scoring runs, trying to build a name for himself. But now, he goes for the safe approach towards his runs, he tends to slow down near milestones.

Rizwan, was flawed, but than under Misbah, he developed a game plan with how to his flaws to his advantages and developed few shots in his aresenal to get himself off pressure. Rizwan, like Agha, used to show intent when he was trying to prove himself.

What Babar and Rizwan need to remember is that in t20 cricket spots are temporary, and you cant keep ur spots forever. You will need to keep fixing your game to return.

Right now, Pakistan cannot afford 3 anchors, so from these 3 Agha is the best option. Rizwan needs to go towards the Hafeez route, where he needs to develop his shots and not aim for long innings but for cameos. Both these guys need to forget about opening slots. Opening is not for them anymore. They need to come down the order and have cameo roles.

Babar spot would had made sense if he was as good as Kohli who can change the games complextion by being on the pitch. But Babar is not that type of player.

Most sensible post I've seen from you in a while.

Welcome back!

 

[RidiculousMan]

Agha is the type of T20 player that if he is not in the squad, you won’t even notice that he is not in the squad. A very forgettable T20 player and a cheap version of Saleem Malik.

Saleem Malik was a really good test player. I'd argue he was as good as Babar in that format.

 

[TheSultan]

The difference is that Salman doesn’t try to act like a t20 hero and take centre stage - opening, acting. He very much plays the role of second fiddle and gives the lion share of exposure to the strikers. That’s how it should be.

If Babar and Rizwan sharafat se recognised their limitations and played down the order, it people would have little to complain about them. But they wanted to be the heroes. Dumbos

 

[ads101]

Because he has a good sr and average in ODIs. That’s it.

Most of our batsman are playing either due to talent or success in other formats. Our most proven t20 bat currently playing is probably Hasan Nawaz who’s 22 and played 12 t20s. Says all you need to know.

We’ll just have to wait and see if these players work out. In the t20 format historically Pakistan has had hardly any batsmen with anything sort of a decent record. There’s a lot of outcry on batting order, strategy etc but our main issue I feel is as simple as finding just a few consistent t20 batsmen. It’s difficult to do well batting wise when you don’t have a single batsman who would be considered good when comparing to foreign sides.