Lahore, Oct 29: After suffering a disappointing 55-run defeat to South Africa in the opening T20I of their series, Pakistan’s T20I captain Salman Agha voiced concerns over his team’s performance, particularly highlighting the middle-order’s struggle to form effective partnerships as a key factor in the loss.
In their pursuit of a challenging target set at 195 runs, Pakistan was bowled out for just 139 in 18.1 overs, unable to cope with the disciplined South African bowling led by Corbin Bosch and George Linde. This defeat has given South Africa a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Post-match, Agha expressed disappointment in his team’s overall execution, admitting that they faltered in both bowling and batting phases. “We didn’t start well with the ball, but pulled things back in the middle overs. However, our batting is where we lost the game; we are losing too many wickets in the middle and missing crucial partnerships,” Agha said.
He emphasized the necessity for the team to enhance their rotation of strike and develop partnerships if they aim to reach competitive totals. “We have to take singles and doubles and build partnerships. That’s what’s missing right now. If we can do that, we’ll be in a position to chase these kinds of scores,” he explained.
On the bowling side, Agha acknowledged that Pakistan’s performance in the powerplay left much to be desired. “We didn’t bowl well in the powerplay phase. It was a pitch where consistent bowling targeting the top of off stump could have restricted their scoring. While we showed improvement in the middle overs, which is a positive takeaway, starting better is crucial,” he added.
Looking ahead, Pakistan is determined to regroup and bounce back as they prepare to face South Africa in the second T20I at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday, with the third and final match set for Saturday. The team will seek to refine their strategies and improve upon their last performance, hoping to level the series and regain momentum on home soil.