Captain Salman Ali Agha: A liability that Pakistan can't carry anymore?

Salman Agha struggling to prove himself as captain [Source: @DoctorofCricket/X.com]

Salman Agha replaced Mohammad Rizwan as Pakistan’s T20I captain earlier this year, positioned as the torchbearer of the team’s modern, aggressive brand of cricket. However, the reality has fallen significantly short of expectations.

While Agha advocated a fearless and attacking style and made ambitious promises during his induction, these commitments have, to date, largely proven unfulfilled.

Although some leeway can be extended regarding his inexperience as a captain, his personal form as a batter has been underwhelming and difficult to justify.

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Captaincy pressure cursed Salman Agha’s form as a batter

(Table: Salman Agha's T20I stats)

• As captain of Pakistan, Salman Agha has played 28 T20Is, scoring 530 runs at a 26.50 average and a 111.34 strike rate, including 4 half-centuries. Moreover, batting at no. 4, where one is expected to accelerate the inning in the T20 format, Agha’s strike rate is as low as 106.04.
• Coming to the Asia Cup 2025, Salman’s first real test as a captain, he has failed to lead from the front. In 5 innings, he has managed to score just 45 runs at an 11.25 average and a 76.27 strike rate.
• Overall in his 30-game-long T20I career, Salman Agha has amassed 534 runs at a 24.27 average and a 111.48 strike rate.
• These numbers suit someone who is raw, inexperienced, and just finding his footing in international cricket. However, for 31-year-old Agha, who is entrusted with the responsibility of captaincy, the stats are below average and mediocre at best.

To put it simply, Salman Agha’s role in his own team is reduced to nothing. He is not troubling the scoreboard, not bowling enough as an all-rounder and filling up the space of a much more talented young individual like Hassan Nawaz in the playing XI.

Salman Agha: a burden as captain?

Moving on from his individual crisis, Salman Agha has proved to be mediocre as a captain as well. In the 28 games that he has led Pakistan in T20Is, his team has won 16 games while also losing 12 contests.

While his win percentage as captain is above 50, Agha’s tactical acumen on the field has been questionable. For instance, he is leaving out young talents like Hassan Nawaz, widely referred to as a generational player in Pakistan, from the playing XI.

In the recent Asia Cup 2025 game against India, Agha dropped himself to no. 6, which many believe was a wrong call, and that lack of aggressive batting hurt Pakistan’s ability to post or chase substantial scores.

Some believe Salman Agha and his team failed to use short-ball tactics or early bowling pressure when India’s batters were trying to settle in.

He is also not utilising his bowlers to their full potential, particularly in the powerplay overs. Trusting part-timer Saim Ayub over experienced spinner Mohammad Nawaz is yet another judgement lapse.

Beyond tactical decisions, critics have questioned whether Salman Agha understands what is expected from a captain in high-pressure games and criticised the ambiguity regarding his role.

Final verdict

All things said and done, Salman Agha is more of a fence sitter than a captain at the moment. While every leader goes through tough phases, repeated failures with both bat and captaincy decisions have raised doubts about his ability to guide Pakistan forward.

Unless he can regain his form and leadership, the pressure will only increase louder, and Pakistan might have to reassess their leadership choices, potentially looking back to either Babar Azam or Mohammad Rizwan, as they don't have a pool of quality leaders.

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