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Salman Ali Agha and Haris Rauf are two key figures in Pakistan. Credits- AP
Pakistan Cricket is going through one of its worst phases for quite some time now. From political involvement in administration to musical chairs for captaincy, nothing is working well for Pakistan. These juggernauts are translating into below-par performances across all formats, especially in marquee events.
The Men in Green haven't even qualified for the semifinals since reaching the final of the T20 World Cup 2022. Since then, there have been at least half a dozen captains across all formats.
Currently, they have three different captains across three formats, but all three skippers - Shan Masood (Tests), Shaheen Afridi (ODIs) and Salman Ali Agha (T20Is)- are underperforming as leaders.
Pakistan's downfall in recent years
Since reaching the T20 World Cup final in 2022 with Babar Azam at the helm, they have experienced a serious decline. The following year, the Men in Green failed to reach the semifinals by a whisker in the ODI World Cup 2023, but Pakistan faced an embarrassing exit in the T20 World Cup 2024, losing to the USA.
Again, in the Champions Trophy 2025, the Asian giants failed to get past the league stage, even being the host of the tournament. Then, they faced another early exit in the T20 World Cup 2026, despite having the advantage of playing in a single city.
Their case has been the similar even during the recently concluded Asia Cup, a multinational tournament only between Asian teams.
Salman Ali Agha's Haris Rauf regret
As Pakistan bowed down to India in the Asia Cup final in late 2025, a lot of scrutiny fell on Captain Salman Ali Agha. The Men in Blue defeated them thrice in the marquee event, with Tilak Varma taking India home with a nail biting finish off Haris Rauf in Dubai.
While referring the India-Pakistan final of the 2025 Asia Cup, Salman Ali Agha stated giving Haris Rauf the final over, instead of Abrar Ahmed, his biggest regret. It is worth noting that Abrar had ended his quota of overs in the 16th over, returning with 1/29. Whereas, Haris, who could only bowl 3.4 overs, leaked 50 runs at an economy of 13.6.
"I think my biggest regret is giving over to Haris Rauf in Asia Cup Final. If I had continued with Abrar (Ahmed), the result of the game might have been completely different," Salman Ali Agha told ARY Digital.
Amidst a poor PSL 2026, Salman Ali Agha cited after taking a break from T20Is to concentrate more on ODIs and Tests.
INDO-PAK relation taking a nosedive
It is no secret that India and Pakistan have a poor relationship on both the the cricketing and geopolitical fronts. With both the countries not on their terms, the Asia Cup 2025 was hosted in the backdrop of the terrorising Pahalgam attack.
A lot of drama had unfolded in that tournament, with both teams not greeting each other before or after the game, igniting the debate of sportsmanship across the globe.
During the same interview, Salman Ali Agha spoke about the whole handshake saga, saying he was inclined towards it, but the Indian team was adamant about breaking the code.
The INDO-PAK clashes share a rich history in cricket, but the two teams haven't played any bilateral series since 2012.
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