Shoaib Malik: “The way Salman led… was far better than some of the previous captaincies we’ve seen. On the field he showed real street-smartness and made good calls. Salman doesn’t look like he is bound to one fixed plan”
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Veteran Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik has commended T20I skipper Salman Ali Agha for his leadership, describing it as “far better than some of the previous captaincies we’ve seen.”
Malik has been particularly impressed with Salman’s “street-smartness” and decision-making skills.
Additionally, he pointed out the 31-year-old has demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt rather than adhering to a single, fixed plan.
“The way Salman led… was far better than some of the previous captaincies we’ve seen. On the field he showed real street-smartness and made good calls. Salman doesn’t look like he is bound to one fixed plan,” Malik was quoted as saying by Geo Super.
Salman recently captained Pakistan in the 2025 Asia Cup, where he scored 72 runs in seven games at an average of 12 and a strike-rate of 80.89.
He then featured in Pakistan’s two-Test series against South Africa, where he enjoyed a lot more success as he accumulated 170 runs, which included a top score of 93, at an average of 42.50.
The Lahore native is now leading the men in green in a T20I series against the Proteas, but his side are trailing 1-0.
In the 1st T20I, Salman only made two runs.
Once the T20Is are done, Pakistan and South Africa will play three ODIs from November 4 to 8.
Afterwards, Pakistan will take on Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series from November 11 to 15, before joining a T20I tri-series with Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe from November 17 to 29.
Pakistan squad for South Africa T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq
Reserves: Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem
Pakistan squad for South Africa ODI Series: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha
Pakistan squad for Sri Lanka ODI Series: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha
Pakistan squad for Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe T20I Tri-Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq
Reserves: Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem