Pakistan batsman Salman Ali Agha: “I used to go with [into] batting as a captain, but now, I’m not. I’m just going as a batter, [to] just go and express myself and enjoy the game”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan T20I captain Salman Ali Agha has revealed that he has learned to separate his leadership responsibilities from his role as a batsman.
He explained that this shift in mindset has allowed him to thrive at the crease, giving him the freedom to express himself and enjoy his batting.
While he has also made technical adjustments, the 32-year-old stressed that eliminating the thought of the captaincy while batting has significantly helped elevate his performance.
“I used to go with [into] batting as a captain, but now, I’m not. I’m just going as a batter, [to] just go and express myself and enjoy the game. So I think I’ve learnt how to put that captaincy away when I go to bat and it’s certainly [changed] my technique as well. But I think mostly it’s mindset,” he was quoted as saying by Cricinfo.
Salman recently played in Pakistan’s two-Test series against Bangladesh and accumulated 176 runs, which included two fifties, at an average of 44.
He then proceeded to make 28 runs in three ODIs against Australia at a disappointing average of 9.33.
Pakistan’s next assignment is a two-Test tour of the West Indies, with both matches taking place in Trinidad and Tobago from July 25 to August 6.
Following this, the men in green will face England in a three-Test series from August 19 and September 13.
Pakistan Squad for West Indies Test Series: Babar Azam (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Awais Zafar, Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah
Pakistan Squad for England Test series: Babar Azam (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Awais Zafar, Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel (subject to fitness), Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah