Asia Cup: Shoaib Akhtar dubs skipper Salman 'weakest link' of Pakistan team after loss to India

New Delhi, Sep 22 (IANS) Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar lambasted Salman Agha’s captaincy after the team’s recent loss against India in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025. Akhtar said that Agha doesn’t deserve to be the team’s captain.

The 50-year-old analysed Pakistan’s performance and blamed captain Agha and coach Mike Hesson for the mistakes on their part. He believes that Shivam Dube’s clutch spell in the middle overs was the turning point of Pakistan’s batting innings.

"I am very surprised by the coach (Mike Hesson). As far as the captain, he doesn’t know anything anyway (usko kuch patha nahi hai), what is he captaining and what is he playing in the middle? He is the weakest link in the team. Does he deserve to play in the spot he is playing? No one will discuss this. He is the weakest link in the middle.

"What does he do? Tell me? He comes in at No. 6, and for India, you have Hardik Pandya or Tilak coming in there. Compare now (Karo comparison). Good boy is teek hai, fine with me, so captain is fine with me – but what does he produce as a talent?” Akhtar said on PTV Sports.

Akhtar also opined that the Pakistani side should have added Hasan Nawaz to their lineup instead of inexperienced players. He was critical of the batters and noted that Pakistan’s momentum slowed down after the fall of a couple of wickets.

"First of all, the team selection was wrong. From 91 in 10 overs , they could have been 140 by 15th and reached 200. The pitch was so good today. If an established player was playing at that point. Hussain Talat came and slowed down. Then Mohammad Nawaz played 19 balls and got run out.

"Second, if you had to get Saim Ayub to bowl in the powerplay, get him three overs, then you might as well have picked more fast bowlers. What are they thinking? What’s the process behind team selection – that’s all I want to know. I don’t want to hear anything else. If someone can call me and tell me this is the reason we didn’t pick,” Akhtar questioned.

"Wrong decision not to play Hassan Nawaz, he can win matches for you. Or Mohammad Wasim Junior, another player who can win. Today in this game, with the new ball if Hasan Ali had bowled length, I would see how Abhishek would have hit. At least test him (Abhishek) out na. You can’t bowl two short, two full – aise toh nahi hota hai na yaar. Captain doesn’t justify his place in the team and makes wrong decisions on selection – along with the coach. All blame goes to the management,” Akhtar stated further.

The former pacer had a similar thought process to that of Danish Kaneria, as he believed that Shaheen Afridi got his strategies all wrong against Indian openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill.

"Bhai, there should have been good solid bouncers at Abhishek from both ends. The first ball should have been from a length, made him come forward, and beat him there. A batsman will get out on the front foot. Bouncers are good for fear.

"Definitely bowl short, but in this form and his hand-eye coordination, usko toh maarna hi tha ( he had to hit). And let me tell you that was a bad bouncer (not a well-directed one). Then you didn’t try the bouncer again after that,” he concluded.

-- IANS

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