New Delhi, Sep 22 (NationPress) Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar criticized Salman Agha's leadership after the team's recent defeat to India in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025. Akhtar asserted that Agha is unworthy of his captaincy role.

The 50-year-old evaluated Pakistan's performance and attributed the team's shortcomings to both captain Agha and coach Mike Hesson. He pointed out that Shivam Dube's pivotal spell in the middle overs significantly impacted Pakistan’s batting.

"I am truly astonished by the coach (Mike Hesson). As for the captain, he seems to lack understanding of what he is leading and playing. He is the weakest link in the squad. Does he merit his position? This is rarely discussed. He is indeed the weakest link in the middle order.

"What does he contribute? He comes in at No. 6, while India has Hardik Pandya or TIlak at that position. Let's compare (Karo comparison). He is a decent player, but what talent does he truly bring?" Akhtar expressed on PTV Sports.

Akhtar further suggested that the Pakistani lineup should have included Hasan Nawaz instead of less experienced players. He was critical of the batting order and noted that Pakistan's momentum diminished following a couple of wickets.

"The initial team selection was flawed. From 91 runs in 10 overs, they could have reached 140 by the 15th and aimed for 200. The pitch was favorable today. If a seasoned player had been playing then, Hussain Talat slowed the innings down. Following that, Mohammad Nawaz faced 19 balls before being run out.

"Moreover, if you intended to have Saim Ayub bowl in the powerplay, he should have bowled three overs. They could have selected more fast bowlers. What is their reasoning behind team selection? That’s all I seek to understand. I don’t want to hear anything else. If someone could reach out to explain this rationale, that would be appreciated," Akhtar questioned.

"Not playing Hassan Nawaz was a poor choice; he can secure victories for the team. Similarly, Mohammad Wasim Junior is another match-winner. In today’s match, if Hasan Ali bowled at length with the new ball, I would have liked to see how Abhishek would handle it. At the very least, test him out. You can’t bowl two short, two full—this is no way to play. The captain fails to justify his position in the team and makes erroneous selection decisions, along with the coach. The management bears the responsibility for this,” Akhtar elaborated.

The former pacer echoed Danish Kaneria’s sentiments, believing that Shaheen Afridi made critical errors in strategy against Indian openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill.

"There should have been solid bouncers directed at Abhishek from both ends. The initial delivery should have been from a length to make him step forward and be beaten there. A batsman typically gets out on the front foot. Bouncers are effective for inducing fear.

"Certainly bowl short, but given his current form and hand-eye coordination, he was bound to hit. And let me assert that was a poorly executed bouncer (not appropriately directed). Furthermore, they never attempted another bouncer afterward," he concluded.

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