"Fearless and high-risk cricket" - New captain Salman Ali Agha's mantra for Pakistan to achieve success in modern day cricket

All-rounder Salman Ali Agha was announced as Pakistan's new T20I captain on Tuesday (March 4). During the team's announcement for the New Zealand white-ball tour, Agha shared his mantra which can help the Men in Green bring their glory days back in interntational cricket.

Notably, Agha served as Pakistan's vice captain in the 2025 Champions Trophy, with Muhammad Rizwan being the captain. However, the side failed to win their first two games of the tournament against New Zealand and India. Their last fixture against Bangladesh was a washout, resulting in them finishing at the bottom of Group A.

After a dismal Champions Trophy campaign, the Pakistan Cricket Board have opted for a young squad in the T20I format. They have dropped the senior players like Rizwan and Babar Azam, while spinner Shadab Khan has returned to the team and will serve as the vice-captain.

Salman Ali Agha feels the selection committee has brought talented youngsters to the squad, who have proved their merit in domestic cricket. Agha wants the side to play "fearless" cricket, which is the need of the hour.

"It's an honor for me and also a challenge," Agha said at a press conference in Lahore (via ESPNCricinfo). "We've brought a few youngsters into the team who have been playing the brand of cricket in domestic cricket that we want to play in the national side going forward."

"We have to focus on our intent and approach. We have to improve that. In modern day cricket, these things are important. This is a young team and we want to play fearless cricket. That is high-risk cricket, which is a requirement in modern cricket. There will be failures with that approach, but we have to support our players," he added.

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Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha has crucial challenges in immediate future

Under the leadership of Salman Ali Agha, Pakistan will be involved in a five-match T20I series against New Zealand later this month. Then, they are scheduled to play a three-match T20I series against West Indies on Caribbean soil. These series will help Agha to find his winning combination for the Asia Cup, which will be played in the T20I format.

Thereafter, the 2026 T20 World Cup will be played in February-March in India and Sri Lanka. With hybrid arrangements, the Men in Green will play all their games in Sri Lanka, where the pitches will assist the spinners.

According to interim head coach Aaqib Javed, veteran spinner Shadab Khan will play a key role for the side in terms of aggression and his track record. Here's what he said in the press conference (via ESPNCricinfo):

"The reason for Shadab coming back is that he has good captaincy experience, plus also his mindset is to play aggressive cricket. His mindset is important because as vice-captain, with Agha also thinking that way, Shadab will be good. The combination is good."