'Salman Agha not cut out to be captain': Shoaib Akhtar
What's the story
Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar has questioned the future of their current team skipper, Salman Ali Agha. Akhtar made the remarks after Pakistan's recent two-wicket loss to England, which nearly knocked them out of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup. He said Agha was not "cut out" to be a captain and questioned his tactical decisions during matches.
Tactical assessment
Akhtar questions delay in decision
Akhtar, on the Game On Hai show, said Agha isn't fit for the captaincy role. He questioned why a decision about Agha's future as captain is being delayed by three weeks. Akhtar said that if there was a long-term vision from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), they wouldn't be in a position to make this decision at this point. He also criticized Agha's tactical decisions during matches, including his failure to utilize Usman Tariq in powerplay overs against England.
Accountability concerns
Blame for Pakistan's World Cup failure
Akhtar also predicted that the blame for Pakistan's T20 World Cup failure would now be shifted onto Agha. He said the management would quietly slip away, and those who appointed him would escape accountability. "This is exactly why you pick a 'weak' person for the job," Akhtar said, adding that they want weak people in high positions so they can easily pin the blame on them when necessary.
Tactical criticism
Mushtaq, Hafeez slam Agha for tactical errors
Former Pakistan cricketers Saqlain Mushtaq and Mohammad Hafeez also criticized Agha's tactical errors after the team's defeat against England. They highlighted Agha's failure to utilize Usman Tariq, Pakistan's ace bowler, in the powerplay overs. Hafeez particularly slammed Agha for not giving Tariq the ball in the sixth over of England's innings when they were already three wickets down.
Match
How the match panned out
England reached the 2026 T20 World Cup semi-final after beating Pakistan in Pallekele. A captain's knock from Harry Brook helped England chase down 165 on a sticky wicket. He led the charge after Shaheen Afridi's opening spell reduced England to 35/3. Notably, Brook became the first-ever captain to score a T20 World Cup century. And his counterpart, Agha, fell for a 6-ball 5.