Pakistan faced a defeat against Afghanistan in the T20 tri-series preceding the Asia Cup. Captain Salman Ali Agha’s comments after the match have drawn attention and sympathy. He stated that the target was not difficult and could have been achieved. This leads to the question of why Pakistan lost, especially considering their assessment of the situation. This follows an earlier incident where Agha showed a reaction during a press conference when Afghanistan was declared as the second-best Asian T20 team. The defeat on September 2nd likely prompted reflection.
Agha mentioned that the target of 170 runs set by Afghanistan was within Pakistan’s reach. He explained that the team lost wickets in the middle overs, which impacted their ability to chase the score. He highlighted the positive performance in the initial eight overs. However, the subsequent overs saw them lose wickets. Agha felt that had they avoided losing wickets in the middle overs, the outcome might have been in their favor.
Six bowlers were utilized, and only two managed to secure wickets. Faheem Ashraf took four wickets, and Sam Ayub took one wicket. The other bowlers did not manage to take any wickets. Despite this, Agha lauded his bowlers, acknowledging their performance.
Afghanistan scored 169 runs for 5 wickets in 20 overs. Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal scored half-centuries. Pakistan could only score 151 runs for 9 wickets, with their batting struggling. Haris Rauf, batting at number 10, was the top scorer for Pakistan with 34 runs.