KANDY: Former Pakistan women’s captain Urooj Mumtaz has expressed serious reservations over men’s leadership options following the side’s exit from the T20 World Cup 2026, admitting she is “clueless” about a ready-made successor to current skipper Salman Ali Agha.
Pakistan’s campaign ended despite a spirited five-run win over Sri Lanka in their final Super Eight fixture.
The 2009 champions had entered the contest knowing that victory alone would not be enough; they required a commanding margin to surpass New Zealand’s superior net run rate (NRR) and qualify for the semi-finals.
Posting 212-8 in 20 overs, Pakistan needed to restrict Sri Lanka to 147 or below. Although they clinched a narrow win, the bowlers failed to defend the required margin, sealing Pakistan’s fourth successive ICC tournament exit before the semi-final stage.
Speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show, Urooj Mumtaz said Pakistan’s current pool of players does not offer an obvious long-term captaincy solution.
“I have a question mark,” she said when asked about the T20I leadership.
“I look down the list of 20 players that Pakistan has right now, and there’s nobody really there who screams ‘captain’ to me. Or someone you pen down and say, ‘right, he’s playing all games and fits in as player number one in all games, no matter what the conditions are.’”
While she acknowledged the impressive batting form of Sahibzada Farhan, she stopped short of endorsing him for the role.
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“Yes, Sahibzada Farhan, in his current form, is brilliant. I don’t think he is captain material just yet,” she added.
Mumtaz also pointed out that several senior players have already had their opportunities as the T20I captain of Pakistan, so they should not be considered again.
“Shadab [Khan] has been through that cycle, Shaheen Shah Afridi has been through that cycle, Babar Azam has been through that cycle. So I am very clueless right now,” she remarked.
On Shadab Khan, she noted that while he had previously shown interest in captaincy, his recent all-round returns against top opposition have not been convincing.
“I think he has a lot to prove in terms of his all-round cricketing ability. He is very short at this moment in terms of his batting and bowling against top-quality sides,” she said.
With Agha himself stating after the match that he will not make an immediate decision about stepping down, Urooj Mumtaz believes continuity might be the only practical route, at least for now.
“Unless you literally say ‘Sahibzada Farhan, two-year cycle, away you go’ or somebody like Saim Ayub, who I don’t think will be dropped for long and deserves a place in that XI — apart from that I don’t see any captain material,” she said.
“So, unless Pakistan has got a succession plan in place, probably continue with Salman Ali Agha till they find a replacement.”
READ: Kamran Akmal blames lack of T20 evolution for Pakistan’s World Cup exit