Mike Hesson Blasts English Media; Reveals Why Salman Ali Agha Didn't Meet King Charles

Mike Hesson and Salman Agha [Source: AFP]

Amid the major axing of Salman Ali Agha, along with six other players and the overall coaching staff by the PCB, a major controversy once again rocked the team's camp. A UK-based report by The Telegraph claimed that one of the discarded players, Salman Agha, had refused to attend an audience with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace. 

Reportedly, Salman Agha tried to stage a protest against the PCB. However, in a recent development, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson has flatly rejected the allegation against Salman.

Mike Hesson Slams English Media for Fake Allegation on Salman Ali Agha

Scraping all the controversy surrounding the alleged disrespect of King Charles by Salman Agha, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson rejected all reports claiming that Agha had refused to attend the meeting, calling the story “completely false” and describing it as “unacceptable journalism”. 

Hesson clarified that Salman was informed well in advance that he would not be part of Pakistan's visit to Buckingham Palace, and that there was a selected list of attendees who were scheduled to meet the respected dignitary. 

According to Hesson, Salman, Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan were removed from the list of attendees after the trio were released from Pakistan's Test squad during the England Test tour.

“Look, I know there's been a void in the news, but people are just making up stories. Salman Ali Agha, as I've said, the three players were released from the squad before I arrived, well before Buckingham Palace,” Hesson said on Friday.

“They were sent a note at that time that these three players would not be attending Buckingham Palace. So, someone's just made something up,” he added.

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Hesson Clarifies No Last-Minute Change for Buckingham Palace Visit

Further, Mike Hesson shared that the players who were already selected in the Pakistan squad had already been included on the guest list and that there were no last-minute changes to the arrangements that resulted in Salman Agha's absence.

“In terms of the other players, all of the rest of the players that were in the squad were already on the list. I was already on the list as the white-ball head coach, so there have been no changes to it,” he said.

“It was all very straightforward. Someone's just got two and two together and come up with nine. For me, that's unacceptable journalism,” Hesson added.

Salman Agha Faces Uncertain Future After PCB Shake-Up

Even though Mike Hesson has put the controversy surrounding Salman Agha and King Charles behind him, Agha's immediate future in Pakistan cricket remains uncertain. 

is removal from the Test squad now signals the massive overhaul that the PCB is looking to implement, and the decision leaves Salman Ali Agha needing to work his way back into the selectors' plans in red-ball cricket.

Salman Agha currently holds the position of Pakistan's official T20I captain after assuming the role from Mohammad Rizwan. However, following the T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, his captaincy is also under a major scanner.

In the last one year, Salman Agha has scored at an average of 24.74 from 46 matches and at a below-par strike rate of 127.16, which further calls for scrutiny of his batting form. 

As far as his leadership quality is concerned, the Men in Green's T20I form under their leader since September 2025 has been impressive. 

Although Pakistan had a World Cup exit, the team have maintained 19 wins from 28 matches at a win-to-loss ratio of 2.375, recording considerable victories against teams such as Australia, South Africa and Bangladesh.

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