LAHORE: Pakistan all-rounder Salman Ali Agha has set his sights on giving his best in the highly-anticipated clash between Pakistan and India in the upcoming Asia Cup 2023, scheduled to commence on August 30.
Agha, while talking to the media here on the sidelines of the national men’s team’s ongoing training camp for the ODI series against Afghanistan and this year’s Asia Cup expressed his desire to perform well against arch-rivals India in the continental event.
“I will try to perform at my best against India in the Asia Cup,” said Agha.
Salman Ali Agha was adjudged player of the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, amassing 221 runs and picking up three wickets, including an unbeaten hundred in the last Test.
However, Agha will now turn his attention to white-ball cricket as Pakistan is scheduled to play a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan in Sri Lanka, before embarking on the Asia Cup journey, which will run from August 30 to September 17.
“I try to play according to the format, and as a player, I try to perform well in every game. ODI format is different [than Test and T20I], and I am trying to adjust myself according to that,” Agha Salman said.
“I will try to perform at my best as I did in test cricket,” he added.
Salman Ali Agha has thus represented Pakistan in 11 ODIs and accumulated 337 runs at an average of 48.14, with the help of three fifties while picking up three wickets.
His last white-ball appearance was against New Zealand in May 2023, where he scored a run-a-ball 57.
Agha then went on to praise Afghanistan’s strength, their spin bowling but expressed his confidence in his team’s world-class batting lineup.
“Afghanistan have quality spinners, but we have a world-class batting,” said Agha.
“The first target is to win the series against Afghanistan and then the Asia Cup,” he concluded.
The three-match ODI series between Pakistan and Afghanistan is scheduled to be played on August 22, 24 and 26. The first two ODI will take place in Hambantota, while the third game will be played in Colombo.
READ: England to host Zimbabwe in 2025 to play first Test after 2003