Shoaib Akhtar: “Agha Salman is a brave leader. Don’t take him lightly. I like him as a captain”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Legendary Pakistan seamer Shoaib Akhtar believes T20I captain Salman Ali Agha is a “brave leader” who shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Akhtar is a fan of Salman’s leadership style, even though the men in green have endured mixed results under his tenure thus far.
Salman recently played in Pakistan’s T20I tri-series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan in Sharjah, and amassed 109 runs in five games, which included a top score of 53 not out, at an average of 27.25 and a strike-rate of 118.47.
The 31-year-old then proceeded to lead the team in the 2025 Asia Cup and accumulated 72 runs in seven games at an average of 12 and a strike-rate of 80.89.
He also took one wicket at an average of 14 and an economy rate of seven.
“Agha Salman is a brave leader. Don’t take him lightly. I like him as a captain,” Akhtar was quoted as saying by journalist Farid Khan on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Pakistan reached the final in the Asia Cup, but fell short of being crowned champions as India beat them by five wickets.
The men in green will be back in action soon as they will host South Africa for two Tests, three T20Is, and three ODIs, which will take place from October 12 to November 8.
Pakistan squad for South Africa Test series: Shan Masood (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Asif Afridi, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Noman Ali, Rohail Nazir (wicketkeeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi