Salman Ali Agha Now Wants Pakistan to Abandon 'Intent' and 'Modern' Cricket

Pakistan’s T20I revolution may have come to an end after just a few months as captain Salman Ali Agha urged his batters to show more responsibility and composure following a 55-run defeat to South Africa in the opening T20I at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday night.

Chasing a challenging 195-run target, Pakistan’s batting lineup once again crumbled under pressure, which has become a common sight in recent months, falling well short of the target.

Speaking after the match, captain Salman Ali Agha admitted his side may need to tweak a few things to get back to winning ways.

“We didn’t start well with the ball, but we pulled things back. With the batting, we’re losing wickets too quickly and that’s an area we need to fix fast,” he said during the post-match presentation.

Salman Ali Agha had promised to play intent based cricket under Mike Hesson but has now hinted that such a strategy may not be suited for a team like Pakistan. Emphasizing the importance of building partnerships rather than reckless shot-making, the skipper said Pakistan’s batters need to rotate the strike and show patience.

“We just need to bat properly, take singles and doubles, and build partnerships. If we can do that, these chases are achievable,” he added.

The Pakistan cricket team had been infamous in T20I cricket for playing cautious cricket under the leaderships of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. While that strategy lacked the vividness of modern cricket, it translated into success for the team. However, ever since Pakistan adopted its new approach of aggressive stroke-play, the results have not worked out either.

While the debate around what strategy is best is set to continue, for now, the defeat leaves Pakistan 1-0 down in the three-match series. The second T20I is set to take place at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on October 31. The hosts will need a sharp turnaround if they want to level the series and avoid another home series setback.

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