Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif didn’t mince words, launching a scathing attack on Salman Ali Agha’s team for their ‘timid’ batting display in their recent Super Four clash against India, which saw them suffer a six-wicket loss.
‘This match wasn’t enjoyable,’ Latif candidly stated. He questioned the team’s strategy, remarking, ‘Pakistan were batting so well, how did it suddenly turn bad? You didn’t even try to be aggressive. They gave up. Why didn’t they try to attack in the middle overs, I don’t know.’ His criticism highlighted a striking statistic: Pakistan failed to hit a single boundary for a frustrating 37 balls during the crucial middle overs.
Latif pointed to specific partnerships that stifled Pakistan’s momentum. After Saim Ayub’s dismissal, Hussain Talat, promoted to number four, and Sahibzada Farhan managed a cautious 17-run stand off 17 balls. Farhan contributed just 5 runs from 6 deliveries, while Talat scored 10 from 11. Latif stressed, ‘At that point, Pakistan was in control. You should have gone for your shots, even if you got out. Instead, you got out after wasting time.’
The former skipper also expressed disappointment in all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz, who struggled to accelerate during his 19-ball 21-run innings. Latif stated, ‘Then Mohammad Nawaz came, and he too played slowly, never tried to accelerate the scoring rate. That’s why I don’t trust their batting or bowling.’
India’s formidable performance throughout the Asia Cup has been a major talking point, with many suggesting they are virtually assured a spot in the final.
Despite the loss, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha acknowledged areas for improvement in his post-match comments. ‘We are yet to play a perfect game, but we are getting there,’ he said, adding, ‘A great game, but in the powerplay they took the game away from us.’ He believed Pakistan could have added ’10-15 more’ runs after 10 overs, noting, ‘170-180 is a good total, but in the powerplay they batted well, that was the difference.’ Agha also highlighted some positives from the match, including the batting efforts of Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan, and the bowling of Haris Rauf. He concluded by expressing anticipation for their upcoming match.