ICC ODI World Cup 2023: I Don’t Consider Salman Ali Agha As A Player… – Mohammad Asif

Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Asif criticised the inclusion of underperforming players in the team for the ODI World Cup in India. The Men In Green has retained their core group heading into the marquee event despite their poor show in the recently concluded Asia Cup 2023.

Babar Azam could not inspire the team to the final of the Asia Cup 2023 despite being the No.1 (during the continental event) ODI team in the world.

The Men In Green was ousted from the competition after facing a humiliating loss to India, which was followed by a last-ball defeat to Sri Lanka which invited a wide range of criticism against the Pakistan team management. The experts and fans were calling for changes heading into the World Cup.

To everyone’s surprise, Pakistan has retained most of their players for the ODI World Cup with Hasan Ali replacing the injured Naseem Shah in the squad.

According to the Pakistan media, renowned Pakistan pacer Asif has called Agha Salman a waste of time in the squad, as he does not perform for the team in the crucial moments of the game.

“I don’t consider Agha Salman as a player, he’s a waste of time. Even I can score the number of runs he scores. He only scores when Pakistan has already scored a lot of runs as a team,” Asif maintained.

'I don't consider Agha Salman as a player, he's a waste of time. Even I can score the number of runs he scores. He only scores when Pakistan has already scored a lot of runs as a team' – Mohammad Asif 👀#CWC23 #WorldCup2023

— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) September 22, 2023

Mohammad Asif feels that Pakistan has pretty average bowlers heading into the World Cup, as there are no bowlers capable of doing special for the country in the marquee event.

“The bowlers selected in the World Cup squads are average, there is no one special,” Asif further maintained.

With Naseem Shah sustaining a shoulder injury, Hasan Ali’s pick is seen as a gamble. Hasan Ali has not played an ODI for Pakistan but can be crucial for the team in ODI World Cup in India given his experience in the ICC events.

Babar Azam-led side has one of the best fast bowling units in the world in the white-ball format of the game. The pacers can make a difference in any given conditions.

Moreover, the Men in Green pacers played an important role in the team’s progress in recent years and they will look to prove the former Pakistan pacer wrong with their performance in the World Cup in India.

Pakistan World Cup Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim