Salman Ali Agha Admits Death-bowling Concerns After Victory Over UAE

Sharjah: Pakistan extended their winning run in the tri-series with a 31-run victory over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Fans caught all the live action on tapmad, where Pakistan impressed with power-packed batting and a strong bowling display — though skipper Salman Ali Agha admitted his side still has areas to improve.

Opting to bat first, Pakistan posted a towering 207 runs in 20 overs, thanks to brilliant knocks from Saim Ayub (69 off 38) and Hasan Nawaz (56 off 26). The counter-attacking brilliance of the duo saw Pakistan go past the 200 mark despite regular wickets falling in the middle order.

However, the UAE put up a spirited show but could only manage a score of 176/8 in 20 overs, and paid the price for their inability to put in more boundaries by losing by 31 runs. The best of their innings was Asif Khan's prodigious 77 off 35, struck six sixes and hit six boundaries, keeping UAE in the race.

For Pakistan, Hasan Ali took three wickets but was costly, but he was costly as well, leaking 47 runs in four overs. Mohammad Nawaz was the standout of the bowlers with an economical spell of 2/21 in his quota.

Skipper Salman Ali Agha celebrated his side's batting genius after the win but expressed worries over Pakistan's death bowling.

“It was a perfect batting game. In the first 15 overs with the ball, we were excellent, but in the last five, we need to improve. Our death bowling is an area we are working on, and we have to get better,” he said.

He also praised young star Hasan Nawaz, calling him a 'generational talent' and showing concern that the youngster still needs to improve.

“Hasan Nawaz is a generational talent with a bright future. He just has to keep working hard and improving,” Agha added.

With this victory, Pakistan remains unbeaten in the tri-series but will look to iron out their death-bowling issues as they prepare for bigger challenges ahead.