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The Pakistan National Cricket Team has been in Japan for the Asian Games 2026. They have yet to play a game, as they have qualified for the semi-finals after all the matches have been washed out due to their high rankings. Amidst this, reports claim Salman Ali Agha's tenure as T20I captain is over.
The Men in Green have been in poor form across formats, as they have been struggling. They lost 3-0 to England and were completely outplayed in the Test series. Their T20I form has also been a concern, as they last qualified for a T20 World Cup semi-final in 2022, when they played a final and lost to England.
Salman Ali Agha to be dropped
As per reports from Geo News, Salman Ali Agha, who has been the regular captain for the Pakistan side, is set to be removed from the leadership role and will also be dropped from the team. Under him, the side failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2026 after being knocked out of the Super 8 round.
🚨 HUGE UPDATE ON PAKISTAN'S T20I SQUAD. 🇵🇰
— Sheri. (@CallMeSheri1_) September 30, 2026
- Salman Ali Agha's tenure as T20I captain is over and dropped from the team.
- Shaheen Afridi & Haris Rauf have also been dropped.
- Shadab Khan and Sahibzada Farhan are in the race to become Pakistan's next T20I captain. (Geo News) pic.twitter.com/3Y8UKudiCZ
Salman Ali Agha also captained the side in the first Test of the England series when Babar Azam was absent due to an injury. However, he was dropped from the Test squad for the second game and sent back home alongside six other players, which came as a shocker for many fans and former cricketers as well.
Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf to be dropped from T20I squad; Babar Azam retained
As per the same reports, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf have also been dropped. Shadab Khan and Sahibzada Farhan are the frontrunners to become Pakistan's next T20I captain. Sahibzada Farhan is already captaining the second-string side in the Asian Games. It will be very interesting to see whether the explosive opener takes the full-time role.
Shaheen Afridi’s last few months have not been up to the mark, as he was dropped from the Test squad after he experienced a dip in his red-ball form and a noticeable drop in pace, leading to his omission from certain Test squads in recent months. He remains the captain of the ODI squad.
Amid all these wholesale changes to Pakistan's T20I setup, Babar Azam's position is safe, and he will be part of the T20I series against Sri Lanka.
Salman Ali Agha's record as T20I captain
Salman Ali Agha was appointed as the captain of the side to replace Mohammad Rizwan as the T20I skipper, with Shadab Khan named as his vice-captain for the format ahead of the New Zealand series in 2025. He has captained the side in 50 T20I matches, which has been a remarkable achievement, as he was the second player to captain 50 T20I matches.
In 50 T20I matches, he won 31 matches with 18 losses, which was a good record as a captain. He also led the side to the Asia Cup 2025 final, but lost to India. He has lost all three matches to India that he has faced. Salman Ali Agha had a win record of 62%.
Pakistan will face Bangladesh in the semi-final of the Asian Games tomorrow, October 1st, and will look to win the game and qualify for the final.
