- Joined
- Aug 12, 2023
- Runs
- 19,775
Salman Ali Agha at a post-match press conference after the defeat against New Zealand in the opening game of CT 2025:
Q: Why can’t we build big partnerships?
"Yes, that's right. We need to convert our starts into big innings to win games. We must improve our strike rotation, as it will help us build the innings effectively."
Q: About Haris Rauf’s selection and conceding 90+ runs—was he fit enough to play?
"Haris Rauf was 100% fit. Bowling well or poorly on a given day is a different matter. He bowled under the supervision of the physio in the nets and looked completely fine."
Q: About the inconsistency of the Pakistan team?
"We need to be more consistent if we want to beat top-level teams. We know we can’t afford to win one game and lose the next, so we are working hard to become more consistent."
Q: What target did you expect New Zealand to set?
"We expected to restrict them to 270–300 because it was a wicket where such a score could be chased with a good start. Unfortunately, we didn’t start well and never gained momentum."
Q: What was Babar Azam’s game plan?
"I think throughout the innings we couldn’t build momentum to chase this target. When you’re chasing 320 you need to maintain some sort of momentum, but we kept losing wickets and couldn’t get going, which ultimately led to our failure to chase the target."
Q: About Pakistan’s lowest powerplay score in the last five years.
"We couldn’t utilize the powerplay effectively. Fakhar Zaman, who is our best batter in the powerplay, wasn’t available. We couldn’t even score 30 runs in the first 10 overs. When I came in to bat, I knew I had to take risks, which I did. However, I think I could have prolonged my innings a little more. You never know—had I done so, we might have won the game."
Q: About Rizwan’s remarks on the lack of professionalism.
"If you talk about professionalism, it comes from consistency. To achieve that, we need to win games more frequently against top sides. This is an area we need to improve on."
Q: Difference between the partnership with Rizwan while chasing 350+ and today’s partnership with Babar?
"The difference lies in the powerplay. Against South Africa, we scored around 80 runs in the powerplay despite losing two wickets. When chasing 320+, utilizing the powerplay is crucial. But today, Fakhar Zaman, who has been effectively utilizing the powerplay for Pakistan over the last five years, wasn’t available due to that incident."
Q: About the next game against India.
"We couldn’t perform well tonight—it was a bad day for us. We will try to forget this and focus on the next game. Every day is a new day, and our next match is against India, so we will try our best to execute our game plan well this time."
Q: About Pakistan’s death-over bowling.
"There are a few areas of concern and we are fully aware of them. We are working hard to improve and address these issues."
Q: Why can’t we build big partnerships?
"Yes, that's right. We need to convert our starts into big innings to win games. We must improve our strike rotation, as it will help us build the innings effectively."
Q: About Haris Rauf’s selection and conceding 90+ runs—was he fit enough to play?
"Haris Rauf was 100% fit. Bowling well or poorly on a given day is a different matter. He bowled under the supervision of the physio in the nets and looked completely fine."
Q: About the inconsistency of the Pakistan team?
"We need to be more consistent if we want to beat top-level teams. We know we can’t afford to win one game and lose the next, so we are working hard to become more consistent."
Q: What target did you expect New Zealand to set?
"We expected to restrict them to 270–300 because it was a wicket where such a score could be chased with a good start. Unfortunately, we didn’t start well and never gained momentum."
Q: What was Babar Azam’s game plan?
"I think throughout the innings we couldn’t build momentum to chase this target. When you’re chasing 320 you need to maintain some sort of momentum, but we kept losing wickets and couldn’t get going, which ultimately led to our failure to chase the target."
Q: About Pakistan’s lowest powerplay score in the last five years.
"We couldn’t utilize the powerplay effectively. Fakhar Zaman, who is our best batter in the powerplay, wasn’t available. We couldn’t even score 30 runs in the first 10 overs. When I came in to bat, I knew I had to take risks, which I did. However, I think I could have prolonged my innings a little more. You never know—had I done so, we might have won the game."
Q: About Rizwan’s remarks on the lack of professionalism.
"If you talk about professionalism, it comes from consistency. To achieve that, we need to win games more frequently against top sides. This is an area we need to improve on."
Q: Difference between the partnership with Rizwan while chasing 350+ and today’s partnership with Babar?
"The difference lies in the powerplay. Against South Africa, we scored around 80 runs in the powerplay despite losing two wickets. When chasing 320+, utilizing the powerplay is crucial. But today, Fakhar Zaman, who has been effectively utilizing the powerplay for Pakistan over the last five years, wasn’t available due to that incident."
Q: About the next game against India.
"We couldn’t perform well tonight—it was a bad day for us. We will try to forget this and focus on the next game. Every day is a new day, and our next match is against India, so we will try our best to execute our game plan well this time."
Q: About Pakistan’s death-over bowling.
"There are a few areas of concern and we are fully aware of them. We are working hard to improve and address these issues."
