Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha admitted his team’s shortcomings in all aspects of the game during their Asia Cup Super 4 clash against India, particularly struggling with batting after the first 10 overs.
Pakistan scored 91 runs in the first 10 overs but managed only 80 in the following 10, largely due to Shivam Dube’s impressive three-over spell where he took two wickets and conceded just 16 runs.
“The batting was much better today, which is a positive. Given our start, we could have scored 15 more runs overall. However, once the ball gets soft after 10 overs, batting becomes challenging,” Salman said after the six-wicket loss on Sunday night.
“…we didn’t bowl well in the powerplay and paid the price. Our start should have led to a total of 180,” he added.
Salman also acknowledged that his bowlers struggled to contain India’s rapid start in their chase of 172. Openers Abhishek Sharma (74) and Shubman Gill (47) launched an aggressive attack, giving India an ideal beginning.
“To win, you need to excel in all three facets of the game: batting, bowling, and fielding. We didn’t field well or start well with the ball,” he remarked.
Nevertheless, the skipper encouraged his team to move on from the India game and focus on their upcoming match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
“We need to put this game behind us since we have a match the day after tomorrow. We aim to perform better there.”
Between overs 10 and 17, Pakistan managed only 38 runs as boundaries became scarce. Contributions from Faheem Ashraf (20 not out) and Mohammed Nawaz (21) helped push the team’s total past the 170-run mark.
“On these wickets, it is tough for a new batter to score runs immediately. The set batter needs to stay until the end,” Salman noted.
“If we speak of Pakistan tracks, the par score there is 200. But here in Dubai, the conditions aren’t like that. They don’t allow you to score 200. And you need to respect it.”
“So, the conditions didn’t allow us to score 200. Once we get good tracks, we shall play good cricket,” he concluded.
