Salman Ali Agha Reflects on Defeat Against Bangladesh

MIRPUR: Following Pakistan’s loss to Bangladesh in the first T20I of the three-match series at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Sunday, Pakistan’s captain, Salman Ali Agha, shared his thoughts.

During the post-match presentation, Salman discussed the team’s overall showing and the difficulties they encountered on the field.

“The score we put up wasn’t sufficient. Although our start was promising, we consistently lost wickets. We’ll convene to address this, and we need to perform better in the upcoming match. When playing in Bangladesh, you anticipate pitches like these,” Agha commented.

The all-rounder also highlighted how crucial it is to adjust to the environment and implement strategies with greater precision.

“You rarely encounter favorable pitches in Bangladesh. We needed to rotate the strike more effectively. The bowlers performed admirably, but when defending a total of 110, there’s little room for error. That’s the nature of T20 cricket—continuous improvement is essential, and victories and defeats are part of the process,” he stated.

Notably, the hosts clinched a convincing seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in the series opener, propelled by a match-winning half-century from Parvez Hossain Emon.

In pursuit of a modest target of 111, the hosts faced early setbacks as Salman Mirza, making his debut, made an immediate impact by taking two wickets in his initial spell.

He dismissed Tanzid Hasan for just one run in the first over and then removed Bangladesh captain Litton Das, also for one, in his second over, leaving the home side struggling at 7-2 in 2.2 overs.

Parvez Hossain and Towhid Hridoy then stabilized the innings with a vital 73-run partnership for the third wicket, helping Bangladesh recover after the early collapse.

Abbas Afridi eventually broke the partnership, dismissing Hridoy for 36 off 37 balls, with Bangladesh at 80-3 in 12.3 overs.

Emon continued his impressive form, skillfully guiding the chase. He achieved his second T20I half-century and remained unbeaten on 56, leading Bangladesh to victory in 15.3 overs.

Jaker Ali contributed with a quick 15 off 10 deliveries, securing a 1-0 lead for Bangladesh in the series.

For Pakistan, Salman Mirza stood out on his debut with figures of 2/23 in 3.3 overs, while Abbas Afridi claimed one wicket.

Earlier, Pakistan’s batting performance faltered after a promising start. Fakhar Zaman posted a resilient 44 off 34 balls, but the remaining batsmen struggled.

Pakistan were bowled out for 110 in 19.5 overs, marking their lowest T20I score against Bangladesh.

Taskin Ahmed shone with 3/22, while Mustafizur took 2/6. The series’ second T20I is scheduled to take place at the same venue on Tuesday.