LAHORE: Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha described his home team’s 90-run win over Australia in the second T20I of the three-match series at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday as a “perfect” outing.
The 2009 champions took a 2-0 lead in the series as the two teams’ final preparation for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.
Opting to bat first in the high-stakes match, the Green Shirts piled up 198/5 in 20 overs with half-centuries from captain Agha and wicket-keeper batsman Usman Khan to register their highest score against Australia in a T20I.
In turn, Australia’s batting unit were bowled out for a paltry 108 runs in 15.4 overs, slumping to a heavy defeat by 90 runs – their heaviest loss against Pakistan in the shortest format.
The Green Shirts’ all-round performance a week before the start of the mega event impressed their skipper Agha, who admitted his team was “excellent” in all three departments and expressed determination to replicate the dominance in the third T20I at the same venue on Sunday.
“It should be a perfect game. We batted well in the powerplay and in the middle and we were good with the ball,” Agha said in the post-match presentation.
“The fielding was excellent. I can easily say it was a perfect game for us and we want to replicate it tomorrow,” he added.
One of the deciding factors in Pakistan’s win against Australia in the ongoing series, Agha moved up to No.3 as the right-handed batsman scored 27-ball 39 and 40-ball 76 in the first two matches respectively.
“That’s why I promoted myself at No. 3 because I know I can spin well and I want to do the same in Sri Lanka,” Agha reiterated.
The Pakistan captain praised wicketkeeper batsman Usman for maintaining their batting momentum after his dismissal and hailed him as the “best spinner” in the team.
He left his side hoping to entertain the Lahore crowd again by playing the remaining third T20I with the same dominance.
“We knew he was a very good spin bowler, probably the best player in our team against spin. We knew his ability and we knew it would come soon. I hope he plays the same way. We want to continue playing the same way,” Agha continued.
“(…) I want my team to forget the 2-0 and come back (play in the same style). Hopefully we can come back tomorrow and entertain the Lahore crowd,” he concluded.