Pakistan prepared for tougher Asia Cup clashes, says Salman Ali Agha

DUBAI: Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said on Wednesday that his team has the strength to take on any opponent after qualifying for the Super Four stage of the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025.

Following hours of uncertainty surrounding their final group-stage fixture, Pakistan eventually faced the United Arab Emirates at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. The Men in Green produced a clinical display, claiming a 41-run victory to advance in the eight-nation tournament.

Salman said the team’s qualification had boosted morale and underlined their readiness for tougher challenges ahead.

Put into bat first, the Green Shirts needed a swashbuckling cameo from their number nine batter, Shaheen Shah Afridi, after Fakhar Zaman’s half-century up the order, to accumulate a decent total of 146/9 in 20 overs.

Following Zaman’s dismissal in the 14th over, Pakistan lost wickets at an alarming rate and had slipped to 110/7 in 16.5 overs until Shaheen forced recovery with an unbeaten 29 off just 14 deliveries with the help of three fours and two sixes.

Although the total ultimately proved sufficient for their bowlers to defend, Pakistan captain Agha reiterated their struggles with the bat, especially in the middle overs.

The all-rounder asserted that they are yet to bat at their best, with which they can breach the 170-run barrier regardless of the opposition.

“We got the job done but we still need to improve our batting in the middle order. That’s been a concern and something we need to work on,” said Agha.

“Apart from that, we did a good job. We haven’t batted at our best yet…we’re still just finding our way to 150. If we bat well in the middle overs, we can push it to 170 no matter the opposition,” he added.

Agha then lauded left-arm pacer Shaheen for his batting exploits and credited top-order batter Saim Ayub for chipping in crucial stages of the game with the ball.

“Shaheen’s batting has improved a lot–he’s already great with the ball. Saim is someone who has been bringing us back into games and I hope he can continue like this till the end,” Agha continued.

When asked about the Super Four challenge, Agha expressed his team’s readiness, stating that they can compete with any opposition.

“We’re ready for any challenge and if we keep playing the way we have over the last four months, we’ll be good against any side.”