The Pakistan skipper has managed just 23 runs in the Asia Cup 2025 so far.
The Pakistan Cricket Team is in the news for all the unwanted reasons. After the controversies which lead to their fixture against the hosts starting an hour late, the Shaheens could only pile up 146/9 in their 20 overs. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) bowlers piled misery on the Men in Green upfront to take them by surprise. Early wickets left the team in a spot of bother. Additionally, skipper Salman Agha could not help the cause.
Their top-order has not been firing since quite a while, and that is posing problems for the side. Opener Saim Ayub was dismissed for a duck in all the three games in the tournament so far. He has got tremendous potential as an opener, but will have to showcase his mettle very quickly.
However, skipper Salman Agha stitched a 61-run stand with Fakhar Zaman after the loss of two early wickets. But his strike-rate has come under the radar. After a dismal batting performance against India in the last game, the skipper could manage a mere 20 off 27 deliveries against the UAE. The knock came at a strike-rate of less than a 75, which was unacceptable for the way the shortest format is played in.
As a result, Salman Agha was a point of discussion for many fans, who questioned his rate of scoring after the knock. One of the reasons Pakistan faltered against India was their middle-order not coming to the party. They were in a spot of bother against the Men in Blue after two early wickets fell. But their middle-order showed no signs of a fightback. They were left reeling in the middle. And something similar has happened again, except Fakhar Zaman, who got to a fifty.
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A strike-rate of under 75 in the shortest format of the game is far from acceptable. And for the kind of cricket Pakistan are playing lately, the fans made sure that they voiced their opinions strongly. The masses were not scared to voice their opinions on the dismal strike-rate displayed by their skipper. Here are some of the posts from X (formerly Twitter), which clearly showcase the disappointment of cricketing fans.
One thing which the Pakistanis have done consistently, is that they have given a long rope to many of their players. Players like Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan have been opening the batting since a while now. But the Men in Green are also going under the scanner of a transition. And they will have to be aware of the shortcomings. The management excluded the likes of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, who had significant experience with the team.
For now, the Shaheens will have to focus on creating players who can build momentum in the middle-overs. If their openers play well, the Pakistanis look sorted for a competitive total. But the problem arises when the openers falter. This has been the case in the fixture against India and also against the UAE. Once the openers falter, the middle-order is not able to pick up the momentum for the later stages. And this could be a problem.
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