Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha admitted his side still has work to do after their six-wicket defeat to India in the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 Super Four clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
While ruing missed chances, he emphasized that the team is edging closer to a “perfect game".
Fakhar Zaman’s dismissal raises questions
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Agha suggested the umpire may have erred in dismissing opener Fakhar Zaman.
"I think the ball hit the ground and went into the keeper's hands," he said. "If Fakhar had played the entire powerplay, the score could have gone up to 190."
Despite this setback, Agha acknowledged that Fakhar’s innings, along with Sahibzada Farhan’s, were among the positives from Pakistan’s batting performance.
Powerplay decisive factor
Agha underlined that India effectively sealed the game in the first six overs of their innings.
"Indian batsmen made the match one-sided in the powerplay itself," he admitted. "Looking back, we could have scored 10–15 more runs. 171 was a good score, but it felt 15 short. In the powerplay, they batted well — that was the difference."
He noted that while 170–180 is typically a strong total in Dubai, India’s aggressive start tilted the game.
Pakistan’s bowling, fielding under scrutiny
The captain conceded Pakistan had not bowled the powerplay overs as well as they should have. He added that batting also became tougher as the ball softened in Dubai conditions.
"We did not bowl the powerplay as we should have," Agha said. "And we have to perform well in all three areas to win. We did not field very well."
However, he praised Haris Rauf and Faheem Ashraf for their disciplined bowling, which kept Pakistan in the contest during the middle overs.
Positives and areas to improve
Despite back-to-back defeats to India, Agha remained optimistic.
"There are a lot of positives — the way Fakhar batted, Farhan batted, and Harry bowled," he said. He also highlighted Hussain Talat’s ability to play spin effectively, a skill he believes will be valuable in upcoming games.
"We are yet to play a perfect game, but we are getting there," Agha stressed. "Looking forward to the next game against Sri Lanka."
