After Pakistan lost to India in the Asia Cup 2025 final, former cricket stars has spoke out strongly, saying the team needs a change in leadership.
The defeat, which saw Pakistan collapse in the final overs and miss key chances, raised questions about captain Salman Ali Agha’s role.
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Many former Pakistan players think Shaheen Afridi should take over as captain from the next match onwards.
Pakistan legends call for Salman Ali Agha's sacking after Asia Cup final loss to India
Former players Kamran Akmal and Basit Ali have openly criticized Agha’s captaincy. Akmal recommended dropping several underperforming players like Hussain Talat, Salman Agha, Mohmmad Haris and Saim Ayub.
"Drop Talat, Ali, Agha, Haris, and Ayub from the team. Babar and Rizwan should lead the charge in the T20 World Cup and other tournaments. Let them prove themselves in domestic cricket or the PSL and test their performance there first," said Kamran.
Ali stressed the need to announce Shaheen Afridi as captain immediately, framing it as a move to end favoritism and nepotism in the squad.
"Announce Shaheen Shah Afridi as the captain for our World Cup team by tomorrow. This is the kind of move that will serve as a wake-up call for those players who got in through favoritism," said Basit.
"If Rizwan and Babar are brought back, who would they replace in the team? If Rizwan comes in, he should bat at number 6. The opening slots are already taken by Shahzad and Fakhar," he added.
How did the Asia Cup 2025 final unfold for Pakistan against India?
Pakistan got off to a good start. Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman added 84 runs for the first wicket. But things changed after Farhan got out in the 10th over.
Kuldeep Yadav bowled really well and took 4 wickets while giving only 7 runs in two overs. Pakistan then lost 9 wickets for only 33 runs and were all out for 146.
India’s reply began on a shaky note as they lost early wickets of Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Shubman Gill. Tilak Varma held the innings together and build crucial partnerships with Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube.
Even though Pakistan’s bowlers tried to slow the scoring, some errors in the death overs allowed India to reach the target with two balls remaining.
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