Shaheen Afridi? Salman Agha demanded 'Toxic' player’s axing for NZ T20Is, but PCB refused

Pakistan National Cricket Team T20I's skipper, Salman Agha, didn't have a fruitful start to his stint after being appointed as the full-time captain of the team. The all-rounder is currently leading the team in the five-match series against the New Zealand National Cricket Team.

Under the leadership of Salman Agha, Pakistan lost the first two games of the series against New Zealand by a massive margin. The youngsters haven't played to their best and it didn't even once look in the two games that they are ready for the international stage.

Pakistan's batting has been the biggest cause of concern

Pakistan's batting has been the biggest cause of concern in the ongoing series. The young batters have struggled in the New Zealand conditions. Also, bowlers haven't looked threatening and have failed to put pressure on the opposition so far in the series.

In the first game, Pakistan got all out for 91 runs and then went on to lose the game by the margin of 9 wickets. It was expected that they would come up with a fighting effort in the second match but that wasn't the case.

Pakistan lost the second game against New Zealand by 5 wickets

Pakistan went on to lose the second game by 5 wickets. Due to the rain, the match was curtailed to 15 overs and the visitors managed 135 runs on the board. Skipper Salman Agha was the top scorer with his knock of 46 runs while Shadab Khan (26) and Shaheen Afridi (22*) made vital contributions that helped the team post a fighting total on the board.

Pakistan then failed to defend the target as New Zealand batters slammed bowlers all over the park. Haris Rauf was the only player who looked settled with the ball as he picked up two wickets and gave away 20 runs in the 3 overs that he bowled.

The ongoing series against New Zealand marked a new era in Pakistan Cricket. The PCB moved on from the senior players and named a new-look side with Salman Agha being named a captain. A lot of domestic cricketers who performed consistently were given the opportunity at the big stage.

Salman Agha didn't want one player in the team due to the indiscipline issues

However, in a shocking development, as per journalist Qadir Khawaja, it is learned that skipper Salman Agha didn't want one player in the team. The skipper kept three conditions in front of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), out of which the first two were accepted while the third one was rejected.

The third condition was that he didn't want one player in the side, as he mentioned that the player ruined the atmosphere of the dressing room. He categorically told PCB that he didn't want that player but his demand was rejected.

𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗹𝗶 𝗔𝗴𝗵𝗮 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆:
According to @iamqadirkhawaja Salman wanted one player to be out of the team who allegedly ruins atmosphere of dressing room but it wasn't done. Who's the player?#SalmanAliAgha #PAKvNZpic.twitter.com/vA6m73qBBk

— Pakistan Cricket Team USA FC (@DoctorofCricket) March 18, 2025

This could be a potential signal towards Shaheen Afridi. Of late, there have been a lot of reports that claimed that the fast bowler has been creating a lot of indiscipline in the team. Even former coaches in Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie reportedly accused the pacer of the same.

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