DHAKA: Pakistan T20i captain Salman Ali Agha has said their team for the upcoming three-match series against Bangladesh consists of players who are able to play an aggressive brand of cricket.
Agha, while approaching the press conference before the series here on Saturday, expressed confidence in his team’s ability to deliver a strong performance in the upcoming series planned to get started on Sunday.
He called the series a challenging, but hoped for a positive result, noting that the players are not under pressure and will play aggressive cricket.
He acknowledged the strength of the Bangladesh side and said, “They are a competitive team and present harsh challenges to their opponents at home and abroad, but we are also ready to play aggressive cricket.”
Agha added that after participating in Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), he and several other players have a good understanding of the local conditions.
He noted that the team had also trained accordingly in their preparatory camp in Karachi, with seats made to simulate the conditions in Dhaka.
“Understanding the conditions is key. We have prepared ourselves to customize our games according to pitch and match situations. Our experience of playing in BPL gives us an edge here,” he said.
The captain also praised senior players Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan and called them world -class cricketers, which have consistently appeared for Pakistan.
He emphasized that the current team has the right mix of players to play the attacking T20 crick.
“Babar and Rizwan are world -class. They have earned Pakistan incredibly well. The T20 cricket develops every six months every year.
“We have players in the troop that match the cricket style we want to play. There is no pressure our focus is solely on playing good cricket in this series,” he concluded.
Agha has led the shortest format side with starbators Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan out since last year.
Pace Spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi is rested to the three-match series, with Seam Bowlers Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Wasim unavailable due to injuries.
Agha said the missing players could still be considered for the T20 world championship in India and Sri Lanka next year.
“We have changed the way we want to play, but we are sure of our structure and direction,” Agha said.
“We go for this series of abundant preparations as Bangladesh can be a challenging team in their home relationship.”
For the unwarterized, the trophy for the three-match T20i series between Pakistan and Bangladesh was revealed in a ceremony held at a local hotel in Dhaka on Saturday.
Captains from both sides, Pakistan’s Salman Ali Agha and Bangladesh’s Liton Das, participated in a photo shoot with the trophy.
The green shirts play three T20i’s against Bangladesh on the 20th, 22nd and 24th of July, with Dhaka’s Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, which hosts all matches.
The series marks a new match between the two pages after their last meeting in May, with Pakistan sealing a 3-0 pure sweep at home.
Pakistan team
Salman Ali Agha (C), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Haris (WK), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (Wk), Saimad Ayub, Salman Sufyan Moqim.
Series Plan
- July 16 – Pakistan men’s team arrival
- 20. July first T20i at Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (18:00 local time)
- July 22.
- 24. July-Tredje T20i at Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (18:00 Local Time)
With additional input from AFP
