Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha’s wife, Sabba Manzer, has accused Pakistani cricket fans of sending her and their son abusive messages following the team’s defeat to England at the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Tuesday. The loss left Pakistan’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals hanging in the balance, with Agha facing criticism for his captaincy as the team stares at a possible early exit.
Pakistan suffered a narrow two-wicket defeat against England in the Super 8 stage at Pallekele, a result that sparked strong reactions on social media, with some comments directed at Aghia’s family. Sabba Manzer revealed that she received abusive messages after the loss and decided to respond publicly.
In an Instagram post, she wrote: “Sending me or my innocent son abuse won’t win Pakistan fans the World Cup.”
England captain Harry Brook scored a century to guide his team to 166 for 8 in 19.1 overs while chasing 165. The win made England the first team to qualify for the semi-finals. Pakistan, meanwhile, have just one point from two Super 8 matches and face a tough road to qualification.
To progress, Pakistan need to beat Sri Lanka in their last Super 8 match and rely on other results in Group 2. If New Zealand win their upcoming match, Pakistan may also need to improve their Net Run Rate in the game against Sri Lanka.
Despite the situation, Agha expressed hope after the match. Talking about the qualification scenario, he said: “We just have to wait and see how the other results turn out. We will hope they go in our favor and then we know we have to win against Sri Lanka. Cricket is a fun game; anything is possible. There is always hope and as a team we will always believe.”
Agha was named Pakistan’s T20I captain in 2024 after Mohammad Rizwan was removed from the role. Before him, Babar Azam, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Afridi also led the side in the format but were replaced after poor results.
Pakistan have struggled in recent ICC tournaments. They have failed to reach the semi-finals in the last three ICC events, including the Champions Trophy 2025 held in Pakistan. In the previous T20 World Cup, they were eliminated after defeating the United States.
With just one point from two Super 8 matches, Pakistan face elimination and must rely on both their own performance and favorable results elsewhere to stay alive in the tournament.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
February 25, 2026
