A columnist has argued that Salman Ali Agha should be dropped from Pakistan’s T20 International plans and should not be in the 16-man squad at all. The opinion piece says the view, which the writer admits could be wrong, has grown stronger after Agha’s century against Sri Lanka in a one-day international on Sunday. The Pakistan Cricket Board also highlighted the innings on social media, noting the knock in Rawalpindi.
The writer says the problem lies less with Agha and more with those who select him. The column urges the batter to stay away from T20I cricket so he can build a long-term career in Tests and ODIs.
Agha’s century and a call for a Test and ODI focus
The columnist says Agha’s innings strengthens the belief that he can bring success to himself and Pakistan in Tests and ODIs. The writer believes his off-spin bowling could also add value in those formats. To achieve that, however, Agha would need to give up T20I cricket.
The column also names left-handed middle-order batter Saud Shakeel as a player who must make the same choice. The writer describes Agha and Shakeel as the pillars of Pakistan’s batting and says they could help rebuild the side’s standing in Test and ODI cricket. In the writer’s view, Agha should be an automatic pick for Tests and ODIs, while Shakeel should be reserved mainly for Tests.
Proposed three-year contracts and a ban on T20 cricket
The columnist proposes that the board offer Agha and Shakeel three-year contracts that would guarantee them places in the team. In return, the writer suggests they should be barred from playing T20 cricket, including the Pakistan Super League, and be paid extra as compensation.
The writer also argues that Shakeel should not play as many ODIs as former cricketer Asad Shafiq did, pointing out that he has already played a World Cup and the Pakistan Super League. The column warns that letting Shakeel play both Tests and ODIs would again put talent at risk.
The column recalls players it says were wasted in the past, including Asim Kamal and Mohammad Wasim. It says Pakistan has now become the “tail-enders” of world cricket and suffers heavy defeats wherever it plays. A shortage of quality talent may be part of the problem, the writer says, but the bigger fault lies in team selection and in the combinations chosen.
Criticism of selection choices for Pakistan’s batters and bowlers
The column lists several players who have received repeated chances, including Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz and Usman Khan. The writer asks what these opportunities have produced in recent years.
The writer cites a match at the Asian Games, where Pakistan selected a right-arm leg-spinner against an Indian side packed with left-handed batters and used him for his second over against two left-handers. The column also questions why Saim Ayub is picked for Tests, arguing that he earns his place in T20 and ODI cricket mainly for his bowling. The writer says Ayub has played nine Test matches and seems to lose form when he plays them.
The column also says Hasan Nawaz should avoid ODI cricket for now, while Maaz Sadaqat can play both limited-overs formats. The writer adds that neither is ready for Test cricket in the near future.
Agha’s dropping, recall and domestic triple century
The column describes a series of decisions it calls mistakes. These include selecting Agha for T20Is, making him captain, removing him as Test captain and dropping him. The writer also criticises the decision to send him home after he took a catch while serving as a substitute fielder during Pakistan’s match against England.
Agha was later summoned back for a royal ceremony, which the writer also describes as a mistake. According to the column, Agha chose not to attend that meeting and then returned to first-class cricket at home. The writer says he responded with composure rather than anger.
The Pakistan Cricket Board said Agha scored a triple century for Kingmen’s Academy against Markhor IT Solutions. The board said the innings made him the 18th batter in Pakistan’s domestic cricket history to score 300 or more runs in a single innings. The column presents this performance as evidence that Agha can still become a great player, provided he avoids T20I cricket.
