Sharjah, September 3, 2025: Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha admitted his side had only themselves to blame after an 18-run loss to Afghanistan in the tri-nation T20I series at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Tuesday night.
Set a target of 170, Pakistan looked in control at 60 for two in the eighth over, but a flurry of wickets in the middle overs derailed their chase. They eventually managed only 151/9, despite a late cameo of 34 off 16* balls from Haris Rauf.
Salman was candid in his post-match assessment, acknowledging the batting failures:
“I think 170 was chaseable. The bowlers did well, but we lost too many wickets in the middle overs. At 60 for two after eight, we were in a good position but lost our way,” he said.
“Against quality spinners, if you give them a sniff, they’ll take it. We still lost by only 18 runs — with better batting in the middle, it could’ve been a different story.”
Earlier, Afghanistan rode on a superb 113-run second-wicket stand between Ibrahim Zadran (65 off 45) and Sediqullah Atal (64 off 45) to post 169/5. Pakistan’s Faheem Ashraf was the standout bowler with career-best figures of 4/27, while spinners Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad and pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi picked up two wickets each for Afghanistan.
Despite the defeat, Pakistan remain top of the tri-series points table with four points, but their net run rate slipped from 1.750 to 0.867. Afghanistan, with two wins in three matches, are second, while hosts UAE are yet to register a victory.
Pakistan face the UAE on Thursday in a must-win clash to secure their spot in the final. Salman said his team must show greater batting discipline:
“The game was in our hands, but we gifted it away. Going forward, the focus has to be on partnerships and smart cricket against spin.”
