Salman Agha, the captain of Pakistan, questioned whether opener Fakhar Zaman’s dismissal was lawful, speculating that the ball may have bounced before it reached wicketkeeper Sanju Samson.
After hitting two boundaries off Jasprit Bumrah in his opening over to give Pakistan some momentum in the powerplay, Fakhar appeared to be in form. But when he edged an off-cutter from Hardik Pandya, his stay was short-lived. After carefully examining the catch, the third umpire declared it a clean catch after Samson made it near the ground. Fakhar was out after nine balls for fifteen.
“I’m not aware of the choice. It is, of course, the umpire’s responsibility. Umpires are fallible. And I don’t mind that at all. According to Cricbuzz, Salman stated, “But it does appear that it bounced before it was carried to the keeper.”
However, I could be mistaken. I’m not sure. Given his hitting style, we most likely would have reached 190 runs if he had batted all through the powerplay. However, the umpire has the last say on that. They are also prone to errors. I’m not sure.
It bounced before it got to the keeper, in my opinion,” Salman Agha continued.
After a strong start, Pakistan’s batting stalled, and India won that close call. In just six overs, they had soared to 55/1, surpassing 54/0 in Ahmedabad in 2012 and their greatest powerplay total against India in 15 T20Is. They were positioned well at the midway point as well, scoring 91/1 against India, which was their best 10-over total and the third-highest in the Asia Cup 2025. But they lost the momentum after losing three wickets and scoring just 30 runs in the following six overs.
The pitch provided the batsmen with plenty of support, but as the ball grew older, Pakistan’s middle-order found it difficult to locate gaps. Following the powerplay, they only managed two boundaries, both of which came in the final three overs. Although their final score of 171/5 was somewhat below par, Salman Agha thought it was still competitive.
Although the total wasn’t bad, we ought to have scored ten to fifteen more runs. The ball becomes soft after ten overs, making it difficult to score runs at this location. However, given our start, we ought to have scored 180 points or more,” Salman Agha stated.
Although the total wasn’t bad, we ought to have scored ten to fifteen more runs. The ball becomes soft after ten overs, making it difficult to score runs at this location. However, given our start, we ought to have scored 180 points or more,” Salman Agha continued.
In each of their four Asia Cup matches, Pakistan has batted first. The skipper of Pakistan stated that the team’s batting strategy has been affected by the UAE’s pitches, which are not as flat as those in their native country.
“200 is not eligible for these circumstances. It is not possible to score 200 under these circumstances. You must adhere to the terms. It would be irresponsible of you to claim that you wish to score 200 when the par score is 160. You will witness the same style of batting as you witnessed against Bangladesh [at home] if you provide us with quality wickets. Therefore, I believe that the conditions differ greatly,” Salman Agha remarked.
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