Shoaib Akhtar slams Pakistan head coach, captain for Asia Cup final humiliation against India

Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar took centre stage and lambasted the Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson for his 'senseless coaching' and slammed Salman Ali Agha for his captaincy after the Asia Cup final loss against India.

Pakistan suffered a humiliating defeat against Team India in the Asia Cup 2025 final. The two sides locked horns at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 28, and after Pakistan posted a total of 146 runs in the first innings, India chased down the target through Tilak Varma's knock, winning the game by five wickets. 

At the start of the game, Pakistan looked to be in cruise control; however, India's relentless attack with the ball saw the Men in Green limited to 146 runs. A score that India chased through Tilak Varma's knock, winning the clash by five wickets. 

After Pakistan's loss, former cricketer Shoaib Akhtar came forward and slammed the Men in Green for their horrid show against India. He branded the coach as



senseless and blamed the management for the performance. 

"It is the fault of the management that is not thinking right. Talking about senseless coaching, I would probably say. I probably – I am going to, sorry to say these kinds of harsh words, but it's senseless coaching," Akhtar said on Tapmad.

"It was a Super Sunday, and the whole nation was watching, but our middle order is already a problem. You know it, I know it, we all keep saying our top three batsmen in the middle are a problem," he added.

Additionally, Shoaib Akhtar raised questions on the captaincy of Salman Ali Agha. He slammed Agha for giving Haris Rauf the ball over the spinners who were troubling the batters. 

"Captaincy is questionable. Bowling changes – when the batters were struggling facing spinners, there was no need to bring in Haris Rauf; he leaked 17 runs in an over, which was not needed. There are many reasons we lost, but again, it's okay. It's fine," he added.