Shahid Afridi on Salman Ali Agha: “Now, in T20s, you’ve made a captain whose strike-rate is only [80]. How can you make someone with a [80] strike-rate a captain? What kind of example does that set for others on how fast they should play”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Legendary Pakistan big-hitter Shahid Afridi has questioned how Salman Ali Agha can be T20I captain when he had a strike-rate of 80 in the 2025 Asia Cup.
Salman scored 72 runs in seven games during the tournament at an average of 12 and a strike-rate of 80.89.
As the man who should lead from the front, Afridi noted that if Salman is striking below 100, it doesn’t set a good example for the other batsmen in the team.
“Now, in T20s, you’ve made a captain whose strike-rate is only [80]. How can you make someone with a [80] strike-rate a captain? What kind of example does that set for others on how fast they should play,” he was quoted as saying by respected journalist Saj Sadiq on X, formerly known as Twitter.
After the Asia Cup, Salman featured in the two-Test series against South Africa and made 170 runs, which included a top score of 93, at an average of 42.50.
He is now captaining Pakistan in the three-match T20I series, where the men in green trail 1-0.
In the 1st T20I, Salman only scored two runs off seven balls.
Once the T20Is are completed, Pakistan and South Africa will play three ODIs from November 4 to 8.
Afterwards, Pakistan will meet Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series from November 11 to 15, before taking part in a T20I tri-series involving 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