Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar believes that current team captain Salman Ali agha’s days at the helm of the team are numbered after their latest defeat to England by two wickets left the side on the verge of crashing out from the ongoing T20 World Cup.
Akhtar was withering in his criticism of Salman Ali Agha, who he said was not “cut out” to be a captain.
“The question I need to ask in three weeks’ time is whether Agha will remain team captain. If you (Pakistan Cricket Board and think tank) had any long-term vision, you wouldn’t have to make this decision three weeks from now. I don’t think he is cut out for this job as a captain. And if you are expecting a miracle from him, or comparing him to someone like Harry Brook—I am so sorry,” Akhtar said on the Game On Hai show.
“Looking at him tactically, he is not captaincy material. He was forced into the role as a ‘make-shift’ arrangement, and now the reality is right in front of you. How many more mistakes will he make?”
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Agha’s tactic of not giving mystery spinner Usman Tariq an over until the 8th one of the innings was particularly criticized on the show, with Saqlain Mushtaq and Mohammad Hafeez slamming the decision to not bring the spinner for bowling in the powerplay over, particularly the sixth over, by which stage, England had already lost three wickets.
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“If he isn’t giving Usman Tariq the sixth over, how much ‘rocket science’ do you need? We have all played the game; we all understand cricket. But again, I don’t think he is cut out for this, and I don’t see him remaining captain in six weeks’ time. What will happen is that the entire blame will now be shifted onto Salman Agha. The management will quietly slip away, and those who appointed him will escape accountability. This is exactly why you pick a ‘weak’ person for the job. You want weak people in high positions so that when it’s time to fire someone, you can easily pin the blame on them. Now, they will dump the failure of the entire World Cup on Salman’s shoulders. That is how history repeats itself.”
