[WATCH] Salman Ali Agha Sparks Controversy After Throwing Away Runners-Up Cheque

Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha could not hold back his frustration after his team suffered another heartbreaking defeat to India in the Asia Cup 2025 final. India successfully chased down a target of 147, with Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 69 guiding them to victory by five wickets with two balls remaining.

Varma’s crucial partnerships of 57 with Sanju Samson (24) and 60 with Shivam Dube (33) completely dashed Pakistan’s chances of pulling off an upset. For Pakistan, it was their third consecutive loss against India in the same tournament, leaving the captain and fans deeply disappointed.

During the post-match presentation ceremony, Agha expressed his disappointment in a way that stirred controversy. After receiving the runners-up cheque from Asian Cricket Council’s representative Aminul Islam, he threw it away in anger, drawing boos from the spectators in the stadium.

Salman agha gadiki ekkado kalinattu vundi lucha gadu🤣🤣🤣 #INDvPAK pic.twitter.com/GkEn7deKZj

— 𝙸𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒 ❟❛❟ (@itachiistan1) September 28, 2025

Agha’s Honest Assessment of Pakistan’s Batting Struggles

Speaking to the media after the match, the skipper openly admitted that the defeat was a difficult one to digest. “Yeah, it is a tough pill to swallow right now. But I think we did not finish well with the bat. And bowling, I think we were outstanding. We gave everything. But yeah, if we could have finished well, it could have been a different story. I think we couldn’t rotate the strike properly.”

“And then we, I think, lost too many wickets at times. So I think that was the reason we couldn’t score what we wanted,” Agha said. He placed responsibility on the batters, including himself, for failing to provide the bowlers with enough runs to defend on a surface that did not allow easy stroke play. The middle-order collapse, combined with the inability to keep the scoreboard ticking, cost Pakistan dearly at crucial stages of the match.

Confidence in Bowling and Hopes for the Future

Despite the disappointing outcome, Agha praised his bowlers for their disciplined performance and acknowledged that the contest was closer than the scorecard suggested. “But yeah, we’re going to sort out our batting very, very soon. Yeah, yeah, they bowled really well. I think they bowled outstandingly well at one time. I think they needed like 63 in 6 overs. I thought we had the game.”

“But yeah, I think the bowlers bowled really well. So we have to give them credit. Very proud. I think we bowled really well. And I’m very proud as a team. And we as a team are very proud. And we have so much to look forward to. And we will continue to improve and we will come back stronger,” he added. Though disappointed by the batting performance, Agha remained hopeful that Pakistan would quickly resolve their shortcomings and return stronger in future tournaments.

Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.