– Advertisement – <\/p>\n
ISLAMABAD, Nov 29 (APP): Pakistan\u2019s T20 Skipper, Salman Agha, believes the team was moving forward with a renewed determination for success and is aiming to make the year 2026 memorable by winning the World Cup.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a press conference at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium after winning the tri-nation T20 series, he said that Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq, and Saim Ayub have been delivering outstanding performances in the spin-bowling department, and he hoped they would continue this momentum.<\/p>\n
He said the 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup is now very close to being finalised. The team can chase targets of over 200 runs, though such high scores are unlikely on Sri Lankan pitches. If 200 runs are scored there, our team is fully capable of posting and chasing such a total,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The captain praised all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz for his impressive comeback, noting that he has proven himself through excellent performances.<\/p>\n
Regarding former vice-captain Shadab Khan, Agha said that Shadab is an experienced all-rounder and if needed, he will certainly be included in the squad.<\/p>\n
He further said that, keeping World Cup conditions in mind, there is also a possibility of fielding four spinners. Reflecting on the team\u2019s overall performance, Agha acknowledged that the year did not begin well, but the national side bounced back strongly in white-ball cricket, winning most of their series.<\/p>\n
Agha added that although he initially faced pressure as captain, he now has much better experience in handling it, and all players are united and determined to deliver their best results.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka reflected on the series by highlighting several positives despite the overall result.<\/p>\n
He praised young fast bowler Eshan Malinga, describing him as \u201cthe find of the tour,\u201d and commended Dushmantha Chameera for his impressive spells throughout the series.<\/p>\n
Shanaka also acknowledged the promising performances of youngster Pavan Rathnayake, noting that he made good use of the opportunities he received.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, our bowling was good, but the collapse in the middle overs cost us. We didn\u2019t make the right shot selections, and in the middle phase, we gave away wickets without taking responsibility,\u201d Shanaka said, evaluating Sri Lanka\u2019s batting shortcomings.<\/p>\n
Speaking about Pakistan\u2019s players, Shanaka expressed admiration for Mohammad Nawaz\u2019s development, \u201cI\u2019ve seen his growth, and he has performed well, I\u2019m happy for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also praised Saim Ayub, recalling their time together in the Pakistan Super League, \u201cHe\u2019s very impressive and a bright prospect for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shanaka extended gratitude to Pakistan for its continued support of Sri Lankan cricket. \u201cPakistan has always been supportive of Sri Lanka, and even the governments work very closely,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He also thanked the armed forces for ensuring the team\u2019s safety and comfort during the tour.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the playing conditions, Shanaka admitted the team did not expect the pitch to offer so much turn. \u201cWe need to take this as a learning experience. Next time, we will execute better, this is cricket,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
He concluded by commending Pakistan\u2019s spin options, noting that Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed, and Saim Ayub will be valuable assets for the side heading into the World Cup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"– Advertisement – ISLAMABAD, Nov 29 (APP): Pakistan\u2019s T20 Skipper, Salman Agha, believes the team was moving forward…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":290167,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[1721,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-290166","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cricket","8":"tag-cricket","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=290166"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290166\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/290167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=290166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=290166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=290166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}