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Slower than Babar Azam and Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan's current captain Salman Agha continues to play the outdated brand of T20 cricket. As captain, his strike rate is 110.02. He has the fifth worst strike rate as Pakistan captain. Even in the ongoing T20 Asia Cup 2025, he is 52nd on the list of best strike rates among 58 who have batted. With a strike rate of 78.04 in the tournament, Salman admits that scoring at a rapid rate is important and he needs to do better. But, he went on to say that there is a need to play according to the situation instead of targetting a strike rate over 150.
"My performance hasn't been up to the level it should have been and I am working on that. In T20 cricket, strike rate is important, but at the end of the day, you have to see what the situation demands and the team needs. It's not necessary to play with a strike rate of 150 if the pitch or the situation doesn't demand it. You should play according to the situation," he said in the pre-match press conference in Dubai on September 27.
Not just Salman, but Pakistan batting has not clicked as a unit yet. But, the skipper believes that the team is saving their best for the final against Suryakumar Yadav's men.
"Everyone knows we haven't batted to our full abilities this tournament, but maybe we're saving the best for the final," he said while laughing.
Salman Agha’s performance in group stage
The 31-year-old was dismissed for a duck against Oman. In the clash against India, he walked out to bat at no.5. He looked clueless against spin, faced 12 balls and scored just three runs. He was dismissed by left-arm spinner Axar Patel. Against UAE, he got to the crease after the openers departed early. He faced 27 deliveries to score 20 runs. Once again, he fell to a spinner, Dhruv Parashar.
Salman Agha’s struggle continues in Super Fours
In the Super Fours stage against India, he batted at no.6 and remained unbeaten for a 13-ball 17. He had another failure against spinner in the must-win game against Sri Lanka. He was dismissed lbw by Wanindu Hasaranga for just five runs from six deliveries. Bangladesh bowlers did not let him break free either. He scored just 19 runs from 23 balls. This time he was dismissed by a pacer, Mustafizur Rahman. Pakistan were 49/5 when he departed in the 11th over.
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