Dubai: After a thrilling victory over Bangladesh, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha hailed his side as a “special team,” expressing confidence that they have the ability to take on anyone, including India, in the Asia Cup final.
Pakistan’s bowlers were at their best, defending a modest total of 135 to secure an 11-run win in the Super 4s clash on Thursday, setting up a maiden Asia Cup title clash with arch-rivals India.
“If you win games like this, you must be a special team. Everyone contributed really well. There is room for improvement in our batting, but we’ll work on that,” Agha said during the presentation ceremony.
The two rivals will meet for the third time in the tournament, having faced each other earlier in the group stage and again in the Super Fours.
“Very excited. We know what we need to do, and we are confident we can beat anyone. We’ll come on Sunday and give our best,” the skipper added.
Agha also singled out Shaheen Shah Afridi, who earned the Player-of-the-Match award for his all-round performance.
“Shaheen is a special player. He does what the team needs, and I’m very happy for him. We were just 15 runs short, but the way we bowled upfront created pressure. Bowling like this with the new ball often wins matches,” he said.
Afridi, who earlier scored a quick 19 off 13 balls to help Pakistan post a competitive total, also returned to take 3/17.
“Early breakthroughs are crucial, especially in a small total. That was our plan in the powerplay, and it made the difference,” Afridi said. On his batting, he added, “After early wickets, the team gave me the license to attack. Those sixes shifted momentum in our favor.” Looking ahead to the final, he confidently stated, “We are ready.”
Batting woes cost Bangladesh again: Jaker Ali
Bangladesh’s stand-in captain Jaker Ali admitted their batting let them down in successive defeats, following their loss to India in the previous Super 4s game.
“As a batting unit, we lost the last two games. Our bowlers performed well, but the batting didn’t deliver,” he said.
“I tried to adjust to the captaincy and take responsibility. Our bowlers Rishad and Saif gave their best, but unfortunately, we couldn’t support Saif enough.”
