“Alright, you tell me — who should be made captain in T20s?” asked a person connected to Pakistan cricket during a friendly discussion with me.
Without hesitation, I replied, “Shaheen Shah Afridi.”
He responded, “The World Cup is so close now. If a change is made at this stage and, God forbid, the team doesn’t perform well, then you people will say ‘bring a new captain.’ That’s not a solution. Constant changes cause more harm than good.”
Hearing this, I said, “Salman Ali Agha is a nice, decent guy — that’s why he suits the board. That’s why he was given the captaincy. You can’t make Shaheen take ‘favorable decisions.’”
Smiling, he said, “You’re right that Salman is a straightforward person. He doesn’t get involved in groupings and listens to the board. But remember, he became captain based on his cricketing skills — these are just additional qualities. Shaheen is also a good guy; if the PCB tells him something, do you think he would refuse? Actually, Salman has been given the role with the future in mind. Shaheen is already the ODI captain; if the officials didn’t like him, why would they give him that responsibility either? I know you won’t be convinced, but I’m telling you the truth.”
I replied, “I know what’s going on in your minds. Salman’s own performance isn’t great; he’s been made captain because it’ll be easier to replace him later. Shadab Khan is fit again, and Mike Hesson wants to make him captain — they’ve worked together for years at Islamabad United.”
To this, I got the response, “Those are social media-type theories. It doesn’t suit you to repeat them. Tell me one thing — is Hesson’s job guaranteed unless the team wins? Why would he prioritize personal preferences? Yes, he’s friendly with Shadab, but it’s not that simple to make him captain directly upon return from injury. Remember, when Shadab was fit, he still played as vice-captain under Salman. They have good chemistry. Such a setup could continue when he returns. Anyway, we’ll talk later — okay, bye.”
After all this, it seems to me that Salman Ali Agha will be the captain for the World Cup. But with Pakistan cricket, nothing is ever certain — anything can happen. Until an official announcement is made, uncertainty will remain. Salman has performed well in Tests and ODIs, but his T20 performance hasn’t been extraordinary, which is why his place in the team is often questioned. However, in the recent triangular series, he seemed determined and even played a good innings against Sri Lanka.
A former great captain once told me something very insightful: “First select your best eleven players — then pick a captain from among them. If you bring in someone from outside that eleven, it means you’re compromising for other reasons.”
Our cricket “superstars” have also betrayed one another. Some former players broke relationships just to break “players’ power.” There was a time when even thinking about removing a captain was forbidden; later, the same friends started hiding things from each other to gain the captaincy.
It’s true that there’s no “players’ power” anymore, but if we compare the teams of that era with today’s, there’s a big difference. Babar Azam, once feared by bowlers, now lacks co confidence and consistency. When the team is chasing a big total in T20s, he seems visibly tense. If he hadn’t been entangled in the captaincy issue, would it have been the same?
Shaheen, on the other hand, will probably always feel that the very friends for whom he was ready to stand up to the board were the ones who “betrayed” him. The British introduced the policy of “divide and rule,” and it’s still being used in every field today.
Looking at all this, it seems that Salman Ali Agha is currently the best candidate for captaincy. He hasn’t been part of any group, his own place in the team isn’t always secure — so he’s likely to remain under the board’s control. The good thing is that under his captaincy, the team has started producing positive results recently, both in events and bilateral series.
The real question, however, is whether he can perform well in a high-pressure tournament like the World Cup. Maybe that’s what’s going through the officials’ minds — which is why there’s still no announcement. But time is running out; a decision will have to be made soon.
Let’s see what happens.
By the way, what do you think — should Salman remain captain, or should the responsibility go to Shadab or Shaheen instead? Don’t forget to share your opinion.

Real Madrid were held to a third consecutive La Liga draw in a 1-1 tie at Girona on Sunday, allowing Barcelona to retain pole position.

Azzedine Ounahi fired the hosts into a surprise lead before half-time, with Kylian Mbappe earning Madrid a point from the penalty spot.

After Barcelona beat Alaves on Saturday to move top of the table, Madrid needed a victory at Girona to reclaim top spot but now sit second, a point behind the champions.

Earlier Alberto Moleiro helped Villarreal, third, move back ahead of fourth-place Atletico Madrid with a stoppage time winner in a 3-2 victory at Real Sociedad.

Real Madrid’s draw increases the pressure on Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, after recent rumours suggesting his future is insecure in the Madrid dugout.

“We are up there, it’s all very even, it’s a long season and we have to continue,” Alonso told reporters.

“I liked the reaction from the players. It was not enough to turn it around but we were close, and we have to continue with the unity we have, being self-critical enough, and wanting to win away from home.”

Madrid travel to face Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday for a fourth consecutive league match on the road, a game moved because of the club’s participation in the Spanish Super Cup in January.

“The table will be hard-fought, there will be lots of movement,” added Alonso.

Mbappe and Arda Guler fired off target for Madrid early on in a hotly-contested but scrappy clash, in front of a raucous home crowd.

French superstar Mbappe had a goal ruled out for handball moments before Morocco international Ounahi fired Girona ahead, rifling home from just inside the area to stun their illustrious visitors.

Catalan minnows Girona, 18th, have twice beaten Real Madrid at Montilivi since making their top flight debut in 2017 and for a while it looked like they were going to manage it again.

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a stunning save to tip away Vanat’s drive across goal before Los Blancos fought back.

After having a goal disallowed for offside Vinicius was clumsily felled in the box by Hugo Rincon.

Mbappe smashed the resulting penalty into the bottom left corner past Gazzaniga’s dive for his 14th La Liga goal of the campaign.

“Absolutely not the result we wanted tonight, but the league is still on and very long,” wrote Mbappe on social media network Instagram.

“We need to change this dynamic and show who we are as a team.”

Keeping the pressure on 

Villarreal playmaker Moleiro netted twice in the second half of a thrilling game in San Sebastian.

Villarreal secured their fifth consecutive league win to stay firmly in the Spanish title fight.

Ayoze Perez sent the visitors ahead midway through the first half and teed up Moleiro for Villarreal’s second soon after the break.

Real Sociedad fought back strongly, with Carlos Soler netting on the hour mark.

The Basque side ramped up the pressure and levelled in the final stages through a spectacular Ander Barrenetxea free-kick.

However, Moleiro had the final say, firing home in the 95th minute to maintain his team’s momentum.

“We had that little bit of luck to get three very important points, as important as they were difficult (to get),” said Marcelino.

“To get 32 points out of a possible 42 to me seems a stunning achievement.”

Elsewhere, Real Betis claimed a 2-0 win at Sevilla in a fiery derby clash which was briefly suspended after home fans threw bottles onto the pitch.

The referee ordered players from the field in the 87th minute at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium, with the match resuming 15 minutes later as Betis held on to fifth place.