Pakistan offered glimpses of a new-look top six in the opening match of the three-game series against Australia in Lahore, with Agha promoting himself up the order after having largely batted in the middle and lower order through most of his T20I career.
Photo: IANS
Amid the uncertainty around Pakistan’s participation in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, skipper Salman Ali Agha has confirmed that he will bat at No. 3 during the upcoming showpiece event, signalling a settled role in the side’s top order after the first T20I against Australia.
Pakistan offered glimpses of a new-look top six in the opening match of the three-game series against Australia in Lahore, with Agha promoting himself up the order after having largely batted in the middle and lower order through most of his T20I career. The move is aimed at providing greater attacking intent during the Powerplay.
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The right-hander looked in good touch at first drop in the opening T20I on Thursday, scoring a brisk 39 as Pakistan registered an impressive 22-run victory over Australia just days ahead of the T20 World Cup.
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“Yes, I’ll be batting at No. 3 (in the future). We expect to face a lot of spin, and I believe I can dominate spin during the Powerplay. That’s why I moved up, and that is where I’ll stay,” Agha said.
Agha’s promotion is also likely to alter Babar Azam’s role, with the former Pakistan skipper batting at No. 4 in the opening match and scoring 24 off 20 deliveries.
Pakistan successfully defended a total of 168 in the series opener at the Gaddafi Stadium. In reply, Australia fell 22 runs short of the target, losing six wickets to Pakistan’s spinners.
Reflecting on the match, Ali Agha said, “We started well with the bat but couldn’t finish the way we wanted. It became challenging after the first 10 overs as the ball stopped coming onto the bat, but I think we were outstanding with the ball.
“To be honest, I felt 170 was enough. Given how we were placed after 10 overs, we probably could have scored 15 more, but I knew 170 would be plenty on this pitch because our spin bowling is outstanding,” he added.
Meanwhile, Australia’s stand-in captain Travis Head wasn’t too concerned by the loss, though he admitted there was plenty of work for his side to do before the T20 World Cup commences on February 7.
“There are definitely positives, but also things to work on. We have two more opportunities before we head to Sri Lanka for the (T20) World Cup, and we want to continue playing as well as we can.
“Even though the result didn’t go our way today, there are things we did well and areas we can improve,” he added.
The second and third T20Is of the series will be played on Saturday and Sunday.
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