KARACHI: Pakistan vice-captain Salman Ali Agha pointed out the team’s weaknesses after their defeat against New Zealand in their opening match of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 at the National Bank Stadium on Wednesday.
Will Young and Tom Latham’s centuries and clinical bowling performance propelled New Zealand to a comprehensive victory against Pakistan by 60 runs.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Salman emphasized the need for better batting performances and consistency. He stressed the importance of turning starts into substantial innings and described Fakhar Zaman as vital for a good start.
“We need to convert our 40s and 50s into big scores; otherwise, winning matches will remain difficult, as we saw today.”
“If Fakhar had opened today, the powerplay score could have been different. But today wasn’t our day, and that’s why we lost the match,” Salman remarked.
Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel
Agha also highlighted the necessity of better strike rotation to build partnerships and maintain momentum. The all-rounder emphasized consistency as a crucial factor for competing with top teams.
“To become a strong force, we must maintain consistency. We can’t afford to perform poorly in one match and then exceptionally well in the next—we need to deliver consistently,” he said.
Reflecting on the team’s strategy, Agha revealed that Pakistan had aimed to limit New Zealand to a total below 300, considering the pitch conditions favourable for a chase.
However, their slow start in the batting powerplay—scoring just 22 runs—prevented them from gaining the required momentum.
“We planned to restrict them to around 270 or a maximum of 300 runs, as it was a chaseable target with a good start. But our poor start in batting cost us the momentum, ultimately leading to our failure in reaching the target,” he explained.
Following this setback, defending champions Pakistan will now travel to Dubai, where they will face arch-rivals India on February 23.
READ: Rohit Sharma hails Pakistan-born bowlers, downplays spin reliance