Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha on Monday vowed to provide emerging cricketers with “maximum opportunities” in the upcoming T20I tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
Speaking at the pre-series press conference on the eve of the series, which was due to start on Wednesday, Agha said the Green Shirts’ priority would be to succeed in the coming matches.
While emphasizing that no opposition in the shortest possible form should be taken lightly, he promised to provide ample opportunities for young people to prove their mettle.
“Out of the 15 players we have, the aim would be to give everyone an opportunity but ultimately our first priority is to win matches because we cannot take any team lightly in T20I cricket,” Agha said.
“So the first priority would be to win, and yes, we will try to give players maximum opportunities,” he added.
Pakistan’s T20I squad for the upcoming tri-series saw just one change from the team that took on South Africa in a three-match home assignment last month, with Abdul Samad replacing Hasan Nawaz.
Hasan has failed to collect double figures in each of his last six innings in the shortest format since his 56-run knock against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the T20 tri-series in Sharjah in September.
Meanwhile, in response to a question on the team combination for the upcoming series, Agha acknowledged the recent struggles of the middle order and hinted at Samad’s inclusion in the line-up.
“In the mid-range segment we are not getting the performance we would like to get. Hasan Nawaz is not there [with the team]but I’m confident he’ll be back soon. Instead of him we have Abdul Samad, so maybe we can give him a chance because he also bats at number six and can play the role of finisher.”
The Pakistan captain further reiterated that the upcoming tri-series, like their previous assignments, is a springboard for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, to be played next year, and therefore the home side will aim to play accordingly to strengthen their preparations.
Salman Ali Agha also emphasized the value of all-rounders, praising Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Nawaz in particular, noting: “If you have all-rounders who can bowl four overs, why not use them?”
Pakistan will start their T20I tri-series campaign against Zimbabwe in the spotlight before taking on Sri Lanka on November 22.
Each team will play a total of four matches during the competition phase, with the top two advancing to the final, which will be played at the same venue on November 29.
Pakistan squad for T20I tri-series: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (wk) and Usman Tariq.
Schedule for the Pakistan-hosted T20I tri-series
- November 18: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe
- November 20: Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe
- November 22: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka
- November 23: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe
- November 25: Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe
- November 27: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka
- November 29: Final
