Pakistan play their first T20 World Cup game against Netherlands on Saturday, and admit group stage needs to be perfect.<\/p>\n
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Published On 6 Feb 20266 Feb 2026<\/p>\n
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Captain Salman Ali Agha has warned that his Pakistan team must bring their \u201cA-game\u201d to the 2026 T20 World Cup to reach the knockout stages after forfeiting their group match against India.<\/p>\n
The tournament has been overshadowed by an acrimonious political build-up as Bangladesh were replaced<\/a> by Scotland, and Pakistan refused to face co-hosts<\/a> India in their Group A fixture.<\/p>\n Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list<\/p>\n Pakistan will lose two points for the forfeit and also suffer a significant blow to their net run rate, leaving little margin for error.<\/p>\n Even one abandoned match due to bad weather could complicate their path to the next round.<\/p>\n Pakistan open their campaign on Saturday in Sri Lanka against the Netherlands and will also face Namibia and the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to be cautious and bring our A-game,\u201d Agha told reporters on Friday, admitting Pakistan have limited experience of the Netherlands and \u201cdon\u2019t know many\u201d of their players.<\/p>\n \u201cWe intend to unleash all our spin options because we feel they are vulnerable against quality spin,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The 2009 champions will lean heavily on their explosive opening pair, Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub, with Agha slated for number three.<\/p>\n Former skipper Babar Azam, who has struggled for form, slots in at number four.<\/p>\n \u201cBabar has been working overtime on his game. He\u2019s a key player in these conditions and can change a match in a few overs. We depend on him heavily,\u201d Agha said.<\/p>\n Pakistan are on a high after a 3-0 whitewash of Australia at home.<\/p>\n The team will seek advice from their government if they reach the knockout phase and meet archrivals India.<\/p>\n