Pakistan’s T20I Captain Agha Reflects on Defeat Against Afghanistan

SHARJAH: Following their initial loss in the ongoing tri-nation series, Pakistan’s T20I captain, Salman Ali Agha, shared his thoughts on the team’s performance after falling short by 18 runs against Afghanistan at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

During the post-match presentation, Agha acknowledged that the Pakistani batting lineup struggled during critical moments, despite a promising start while chasing the target.

“I believed that a score of 170 was achievable. The bowlers performed admirably, but we conceded too many wickets in the middle overs. After eight overs, we were well-placed at 60 for two, but we subsequently lost momentum,” Agha stated.

He also gave credit to Afghanistan’s spin bowlers for applying pressure during the middle overs.

“When facing high-quality spinners, any opportunity presented will be exploited. Despite this, we only lost by 18 runs, suggesting that improved middle-order batting could have led to a different outcome,” he added.

Earlier in the match, after electing to bat, Afghanistan managed to score 169/5 in their allotted 20 overs. This was largely due to an impressive 113-run partnership for the second wicket between Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal.

Pakistan initially made a breakthrough when Saim Ayub dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz for just 8 runs. However, Zadran (54 off 39) and Atal (64 off 45) stabilized the innings with a combination of caution and aggression.

The partnership was eventually broken in the 16th over when Faheem Ashraf dismissed Atal, who was caught at long-on.

Faheem Ashraf stood out as Pakistan’s most effective bowler, achieving a career-best performance with figures of 4/27, while Saim Ayub contributed with one wicket.

In response, Pakistan’s batting order struggled, resulting in a total of 151/9.

Haris Rauf provided some late excitement with an unbeaten 34 off 16 balls, including four sixes at a strike rate of 212.50. Fakhar Zaman (25), Agha himself (20), and Sahibzada Farhan (18) showed some resistance but were unable to anchor the chase.

Afghanistan’s bowling attack distributed the wickets, with Fazalhaq Farooqi, captain Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Noor Ahmad each taking two wickets.

Even with the victory, Afghanistan remains in second place on the points table with two wins out of three matches, and their net run rate has increased from -0.025 to 0.283.

Pakistan still holds the top position with four points from three matches, although their net run rate has decreased from 1.750 to 0.867. The UAE is currently at the bottom, yet to secure a win, and has a net run rate of -1.725.

The Pakistan team, led by Salman Agha, is scheduled to play against the UAE at the same venue on Wednesday.