Salman Agha vows more opportunities for youngsters in T20I tri-series

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha expressed his determination to provide emerging cricketers with ‘maximum chances’ during the home T20I tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

Addressing the pre-series press conference on the eve of the 12-day-long assignment, Agha said that the national team’s priority would be to succeed, stressing that no opposition could be taken lightly in the shortest format, but remained committed to providing youngsters with ample opportunities to prove their mettle. “Out of the 15 players we have, the strive would be to give everyone the opportunity, but at the end of the day, our first priority is to win matches because we cannot take any team lightly in T20I cricket,” said Agha. “So, first priority would be to win, and yes, we will try to give players maximum chances,” he added. Pakistan’s T20I squad for the upcoming tri-series featured only one change from the team that took on South Africa in a three-match home assignment last month, with Abdul Samad replacing Hasan Nawaz. Agha, in response to a question regarding the team combination for the upcoming series, acknowledged the middle-order’s recent struggle and hinted at Samad’s inclusion in the lineup.

“In the middle order, we are not getting the performances we would like to get. Hasan Nawaz is not here [with the team], but I have faith that he will soon come back. In place of him, we have Abdul Samad, so perhaps we can give him the opportunity because he also bats at number six and can play the role of a finisher.” Salman Ali Agha also highlighted the value of all-rounders, particularly praising Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Nawaz, noting, “When you have all-rounders who can bowl four overs, why not use them?”

Pakistan Squad for T20I tri-series: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (wk) and Usman Tariq.

Schedule for Pakistan-hosted T20I tri-series

November 18: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe

November 20: Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe

November 22: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka

November 23: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe

November 25: Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe

November 27: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka

November 29: Final. Staff Report