The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has opted to maintain Salman Ali Agha deliberately, as the T20I captain of Pakistan, despite him being out of form in recent times. Salman took the Men in Green to the Asia Cup final, but his individual contribution with the bat gave cause for concern. He scored just 72 runs in seven matches in the tournament at an average of 12, with a strike rate of 80.89.
Selectors oppose replacing Salman
According to the Tribune, the PCB had thought of replacing Salman with Shaheen Shah Afridi. But the selectors, along with white-ball coach Mike Hesson, were against the decision. They believed that the team's overall record-17 victories from 30 matches, just 13 defeats, and so Salman deserves a chance to get back into form as a batter.
Suryakumar Yadav’s instance strengthens Salman
In support of their argument, the selectors used the instance of India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav. Like Salman, Suryakumar had a subdued performance in the Asia Cup, totaling 72 runs at a median of 18. Despite his poor form, there hasn’t been much discussion about replacing Surya. Likewise, PCB should also take a similar approach to back Salman for now.
While deliberating, Babar Azam was also mentioned as a possible captaincy choice. But the selectors and Hesson chose not to recall him. They pointed out that Babar did not demonstrate much improvement in his intent and preferred supporting younger players, such as Salman, in order to ensure continuity of the team strategy.
With the selection made, Salman Ali Agha will now captain Pakistan into a three-match T20I series against South Africa on October 28, 31, and November 1.
