Shoaib Akhtar: “He is the weakest link in the team. Does he deserve to play in the spot he is playing? No one will discuss this. He is the weakest link in the middle”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Legendary Pakistan pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar believes T20I captain Salman Ali Agha is the “weakest link” in the team.
Explaining why, Akhtar pointed out that Salman “doesn’t know anything” and questioned if he even belongs in the T20I squad.
Continuing his line of enquiry, the Rawalpindi Express asked what value the 31-year-old adds on the cricket field.
“As far as the captain, he doesn’t know anything anyway (usko kuch pata nahi hai), what is he captaining and what is he playing in the middle? He is the weakest link in the team. Does he deserve to play in the spot he is playing? No one will discuss this. He is the weakest link in the middle,” he said on PTV Sports as quoted by NDTV.
“What does he do? Tell me? He comes in at No. 6, and for India, you have Hardik Pandya or Tilak coming in there. Compare now (karo comparison). Good boy is teek hai, fine with me, so captain is fine with me – but what does he produce as a talent?”
Salman recently captained Pakistan in the 2025 Asia Cup, where he amassed 72 runs in seven games at an average of 12 and a strike-rate of 80.89.
He then proceeded to play in the two-Test series against South Africa and finished with 170 runs, which included a top score of 93, at an average of 42.50.
With the Test series concluding as a 1-1 draw, Pakistan and South Africa are now playing a three-match T20I series, where the men in green trail 1-0.
This will be followed by a three-match ODI series between Pakistan and South Africa from November 4 to 8.
After the South Africa series, Pakistan will take on Sri Lanka in three ODIs from November 11 to 15, before competing in a T20I tri-series alongside 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
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