In Dubai, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha has voiced strong opinions regarding his team’s consecutive losses to India in the ongoing Asia Cup, primarily blaming the ‘flat pitches’ for their setbacks.
Within a single week, Pakistan suffered two significant defeats at the hands of India. India triumphed by seven wickets in the group stage, followed by a commanding six-wicket victory for the Suryakumar Yadav-led side on Sunday.
Agha highlighted the stark contrast in conditions, recalling Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium in May, where his team consistently surpassed the 200-run mark. However, since then, they have struggled to replicate such high-scoring performances.
“The series you are talking about (Pakistan vs Bangladesh) was in Pakistan, where the par score is 200. After that we played in Bangladesh, America (vs West Indies), Sharjah (tri-nation) and now in Dubai. These conditions are not for 200. These conditions don’t allow you to score 200. You have to respect the conditions,” Agha told reporters.
He continued, “I think the conditions didn’t allow us to score 200. If you give us good pitches, then you will see the same batting that you saw against Bangladesh. So, I think there is a lot of difference in the conditions.”
Pakistan’s batting woes were evident when, after an explosive start, they failed to hit a single boundary for 37 balls. The captain defended his batters, explaining that the Dubai pitch was challenging for new players at the crease. He even pointed to the Indian batters experiencing similar difficulties, though Tilak Verma’s unbeaten 30 off 19 balls at No. 4 helped India clinch the victory.
“Wickets are such that it is not easy for a new batter to come and play shots straightaway. So, a set batsman should go till the end. Indian batters also found it hard to read the pace of the wicket. We lost two set batters in that phase and it derailed our momentum,” he explained.
During the post-match press conference, Agha also defended his decision to promote Hussain Talat ahead of Mohammad Haris, a known hard-hitter.
“I think that Hussain Talat is a very good batsman against spin. At that time, we thought that if we kept the right and left-hand combination, it would be difficult for the bowlers. And when you keep that combination, it becomes difficult for the spinners to settle down,” he stated.
Pakistan’s star bowler, Shaheen Shah Afridi, had another disappointing outing against India, while spinner Abrar Ahmed also struggled. Agha defended the duo, referencing their otherwise strong track records.
“You can say that they had an off day. Both of them have been bowling so well. If you are bowling well, then I think it is not a big deal if you have an off day,” he said.
The Pakistan captain also faced questions about the delayed introduction of Faheem Ashraf into the bowling attack, despite Ashraf dismissing Shubman Gill in his very first over.
“We follow our team’s plans. We have decided to use Faheem after 10 overs because his off-cutters and length balls are very effective then. That’s why he was so effective today. He bowled very well.”
He concluded, “But when you lose, people say you should have brought a bowler earlier or later. Only after losing, you think about these things. But what if we had brought him earlier, and he had leaked runs?”