Pakistan’s T20I captain Salman Agha did not hold back after his team’s 55-run loss to South Africa in the series opener, calling out his side’s middle-order collapse and ineffective bowling start. The match saw Pakistan once again struggle to maintain momentum in both innings.
Chasing a stiff target of 195 runs, Pakistan folded for 139 in 18.1 overs, unable to counter the accurate spells from Corbin Bosch and George Linde. The defeat gave the Proteas a 1-0 advantage in the three-match series. Agha admitted that Pakistan’s inability to stitch together partnerships continues to haunt their batting lineup.
“We started well with the batting, but we didn’t start well when it comes to bowling — though we pulled things back. With the batting, we are losing too many wickets in the middle, and we need to fix that and make a quick turnaround from the previous game. I think we just need to bat properly,” he said.
“We Need Partnerships in the Middle” – Agha
Agha further emphasized that Pakistan’s downfall often comes from not building partnerships in the crucial middle overs. He said players need to focus on strike rotation and smart running between the wickets to chase down challenging totals.
“We didn’t start well with the ball, but we pulled things back. With the batting, we are losing wickets quickly, and we need to have a quick turnaround. We have to take singles and doubles, make partnerships, and the partnerships are missing right now in the middle. If we have good partnerships, then we can chase these kinds of totals. But right now, we are just losing too many wickets in the middle, and that’s costing us the game,” Agha added.
Captain Unhappy With Powerplay Bowling
The skipper also acknowledged that Pakistan’s bowlers missed the right lengths early on, allowing South Africa to gain control. He noted that maintaining tight lines could have restricted the visitors’ scoring opportunities.
“I think we didn’t bowl well in the powerplay. We didn’t start it well, and I think it’s the kind of wicket that if we had bowled right on top of the off stump, it would have been good enough. But we didn’t bowl well. However, we bowled really well in the middle overs, and that’s a positive for us.”
Pakistan now turns its attention to the second T20I at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday, followed by the final match at the same venue on Saturday, aiming to bounce back and level the series.
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