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Pakistan team during bilateral series - (Source : @MehranMalik/X.com)
On Thursday, September 11, Pakistan dealt a heavy blow as their star batter and captain, Salman Ali Agha, suffered an injury scare ahead of the Men in Green's Asia Cup opener against Oman on Friday. Notably, the right-handed batter is suffering from a neck spasm and was spotted with a taped neck during a training session.
Salman skipped the training session on Wednesday and was cautious with his movements as Pakistan cannot afford to lose their skipper to a massive injury, given the much-awaited India tie is just three days away.
Now, the management faces a big task, which is to decide whether Salman should be a part of the playing XI for their game against Oman. Meanwhile, this article will shed light on three possible captaincy candidates for Pakistan in case Agha decides to rest and not risk aggravating his injury.
1. Shaheen Shah Afridi
In case, Salman fails to make it to the playing XI for Pakistan's opening game, then Shaheen is the frontrunner to lead the Men in Green against Oman. The left-arm seamer has the experience of leading Pakistan as he succeded Babar Azam in 2024 when he was handed white-ball captaincy by the PCB.
Shaheen's tenure was short-lived as he he captained the nation in just five matches, clinching a win in only one match which was against New Zealand. The PCB quickly moved on from Afridi for leadership role, but in terms of crisis and absence of Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam in the squad, the southpaw should be the first answer to PCB's problems.
While, Afridi's captaincy records for Pakistan are quite poor, but the 25-year-old has done great for Lahore Qalandars in PSL. Talking about his stats, Shaheen boasts a 51% win percentage and has also led his side to three titles.
| Series/Opponent | Matches as Captain | Wins | Losses | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs New Zealand (2024) | 5 | 1 | 4 | Only T20I series as captain |
| PSL | 45 | 23 | 19 | Led Team To 3 Titles |
2. Mohammad Haris
Another great captaincy option for Pakistan in case they don't turn towards Shaheen is Mohammad Haris. The 24-year-old is heavily backed by the PCB as he is the sole keeper in the squad and all set to feature in the playing XI for all games.
Haris, who is touted to don Mohammad Rizwan's role for Pakistan behind the gloves, is just 24-years-old, but has leadership experience during domestic tournaments. Mohammad Haris has captained Pakistan Shaheens in domestic and 'A' events, including leading the side to victory in the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2023.
Further, Haris also has the experience of leading the team in presence of seniors and players older than him as the 24-year-old had led Stallions during 2024 Pakistan One-Day Cup, where Babar Azam played under his leadership.
However, at present, Haris is struggling for runs as he scored just 33 runs in recently concluded tri-series and scored just 12 runs in three innings during West Indies series.
3. Fakhar Zaman
If Pakistan are not looking to entrust the youngsters to do the job, then Fakhar Zaman is one of the most experienced players in Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2025. Fakhar, who made his T20i debut in 2017, can be a great option to lead the team in Salman Agha's absence.
Fakhar holds no captaincy experience, expect five games for Lahore Qalandars in 2019 PSL, where he led the side for five matches. Thus, it is a great opportunity to test Fakhar's leadership skills against Oman, a relatively easier side.
