Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha admitted his team fell short in all three departments after a six-wicket loss to India in the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 clash. Pakistan started brightly, racing to 91 runs in the first 10 overs, but could only add 80 more in the next 10.
Shivam Dube’s decisive spell — two wickets for just 16 runs in three overs — broke Pakistan’s momentum and left the batting side struggling to accelerate.
“The batting was much better today, which is a positive. Given our start, we could have scored 15 more runs overall. But once the ball gets soft after 10 overs, it becomes difficult to score,” Salman said after the game.
Bowling and Fielding Concerns
The skipper admitted that Pakistan also faltered with the ball and in the field. India’s chase of 172 was set up by an explosive opening stand, with Abhishek Sharma (74) and Shubman Gill (47) punishing wayward bowling.
“We didn’t bowl well in the powerplay and paid the price. To win, you need to excel in batting, bowling, and fielding — we didn’t manage that today,” Salman conceded.
Conditions and Tactical Challenges
Between overs 10 and 17, Pakistan managed only 38 runs, highlighting how boundaries dried up on the Dubai pitch. Contributions from Faheem Ashraf (20*) and Mohammad Nawaz (21) pushed the score past 170, but Salman admitted conditions played a role.
“On these wickets, a new batter can’t score immediately. The set batter has to finish the innings. In Pakistan, a par score is 200, but here in Dubai, conditions don’t allow that. We must respect the conditions,” he explained.
Looking Ahead to Sri Lanka Clash
Despite the setback, Salman encouraged his team to regroup quickly with another Super 4 match coming up against Sri Lanka.
“We need to put this game behind us and perform better in the next one. That’s the focus now,” he concluded.
Catch every update on Cricket News, Match Predictions, Fantasy Tips, and Live Cricket Action—only on The Cricket Scores!
