In a developing story from New Delhi, former cricketer Atiq-uz-Zaman has publicly lambasted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on social media, alleging poor quality jerseys were supplied to the national team during the Asia Cup 2025. This criticism comes amidst Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha addressing concerns about the team’s batting performance, despite their recent 41-run victory over the United Arab Emirates.
Zaman took to ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) to voice his strong dissatisfaction, drawing a stark contrast between Pakistan’s kits and the superior dry-fit apparel worn by other participating teams. His post highlighted a potential issue of corruption within the board:
“Pakistan players sweating through low-quality kits while others wear proper dry-fits. This is what happens when tenders go to friends, not professionals. Corruption dripping more than the sweat,” Zaman wrote.
Despite this off-field controversy, Pakistan successfully secured their spot in the Super Four stage by defeating UAE. However, their batting performance during the match, where they managed only 146/9, remains a significant point of concern. A late flourish from Shaheen Shah Afridi, who scored an unbeaten 29 off 14 balls, provided some much-needed impetus.
Captain Agha openly acknowledged the team’s shortcomings, stating the need for substantial improvement, especially in the middle overs. The top and middle-order batsmen have struggled for consistency, with Saim Ayub notably failing to score in his three appearances in the tournament.
“We got the job done but we needed to bat better in the middle overs,” Agha commented after the game. “The bowlers did well. We haven’t batted to our best yet. If we batted well, we would have ended up with 170-180. Shaheen is a match winner. His batting has improved. Abrar Ahmed has been outstanding. He is someone who is bringing us back into the games. We are ready for any challenge. If we play good cricket, we can be good against any side.”
As Pakistan prepares for their highly anticipated Super Four clash against India on September 21, Agha is resolute in his focus on rectifying the team’s batting inconsistencies, particularly between overs 7 and 15, to ensure they can post more competitive totals.
“Yeah, we’re ready for any challenge,” Agha affirmed. “We just want to play good cricket, and if we play good cricket like we’ve been playing for the last few months.”
The team’s immediate goal is to address these batting issues before facing their arch-rivals, a match where a strong total will be paramount.