Dubai: Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha gathered his team to bring their best game to the table on Saturday while confronted with India in the high bet final of the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 on Sunday and declared his side ready to embrace the pressure of the historic collision.
The men in Green have set up a final against India after the past Bangladesh with 11 points in a super fours meeting on 25 September. The final will be the first time that the arch rivals will face each other in the history of the tournament.
The 2016 champions have defeated every opposition on their path before they are complicated in the final of the eight team tournament.
Pakistan was beaten twice, first in the group phase and then in Super Fours, by an India team with the world’s top fittings and bowler in the T20 format in open Abhishek Sharma and Spinner Varun Chakravarthy.
The Pakistani leader has adopted a pre-match conference in Dubai and acknowledged the pressure that is delivered in the India-Pakistan game.
“The amount of pressure on both teams will be the same. We will try to give our best and win the final,” he said.
Pakistan’s captain depicted the reaction of the Indian media to the matches between the arch rivals in the current tournament. “We have nothing to do with what their media say. They can say what they want,” said Agha.
About the losses in the previous two games to India, the Pakistan skipper said that his side was losing because of their mistakes.
“We didn’t win any games because we have made more mistakes. Which team makes fewer mistakes the game win,” he added.
Agha expressed confidence that the Batting Line -Up will have a recovery in the final after struggling during the tournament. “We have an idea that we could not hit the tournament well. Maybe we kept our best for the final,” he added.
Reports had emerged that Pakistani and Indian captains would skip the traditional pre-final trophy photo for the final.
When asked about his attitude, Agha said: “They can do what they want. We will follow the protocol. Rest is on them, if they want to come or not.”
Agha also responded to concern about his individual performance, in particular his strike speed, during the tournament.
“I have an idea that my performance has not been to work. I am busy improving it. Strike-rate is important in T20s; however, you have to see what the team demands at a certain time and situation,” he added.
‘Free-hand to players in showing aggression’
Agha supported his players to show aggression, while they made sure they were no disrespect for anyone. “If someone wants to be aggressive, why not. Then there is nothing left when you take away the aggression of a fast bowler,” he said.
The Pakistan skipper was of the opinion that all players knew how to deal with their emotions on the ground.
“As a captain, I give each player a free hand in every way they want to respond, unless they do not respect someone or their actions can donate our country,” he said.
‘No handshake is bad for cricket’
In response to a question about the controversy of the handshake, the captain of Pakistan called it unprecedented in his professional career.
“I have never seen or heard anything like that. Tensions are on fragments in earlier India-Pakistan games, but there was always a handshake,” he said.
“No handshake is bad for cricket,” Agha added.
