Salman Ali Agha: “If he’s in form and scoring runs, Pakistan will mostly win games”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan T20I captain Salman Ali Agha has said that the men in green will consistently win matches if Babar Azam scores runs.
Azam saw his form nosedive for quite some time, which created significant concerns given his status as one of Pakistan’s key batters. The slump also resulted in him being dropped from the T20I side for a brief period.
However, the 31-year-old has recently shown signs of resurgence, rediscovering the run-scoring touch that once established him among the world’s top batsmen.
“If he’s in form and scoring runs, Pakistan will mostly win games,” Salman was quoted as saying by Cricinfo.
During the 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL), Azam captained the Peshawar Zalmi to the title and was the highest run-scorer with 588 runs in 11 matches, which included two centuries and three fifties, at an average of 73.50 and a strike-rate of 145.90.
He then took part in one Test against Bangladesh, making 115 runs, which included a top score of 68, at an average of 57.50.
As for the three ODIs against Australia that followed, the Lahore-born batsman ended up with 125 runs, which included a top score of 69, at an average of 41.66.
Azam was recently appointed as Pakistan’s Test captain and will now lead the national team in their two-Test series against the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago from July 25 to August 6.
After this will be a three-Test series against England, which will take place between 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