“Ready for any challenge” – Salman Ali Agha on ‘Super 4’ clash against India in Asia Cup 2025

Overview

• Pakistan have secured their place in the ‘Super 4’ stage of the ongoing Asia Cup 2025.
• Salman Ali Agha expressed confidence about his side’s form and readiness for tougher challenges.
• The Men in Green defeated the UAE by 41 runs in Dubai in their final Group A fixture.

Pakistan have secured their place in the ‘Super 4’ stage of the ongoing Asia Cup 2025. The Men in Green defeated the UAE by 41 runs in Dubai in their final Group A fixture, sealing their spot alongside India. Both arch-rivals will now meet in a much-anticipated clash on September 21 in Dubai.

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Speaking after the win, Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha expressed confidence about his side’s form and readiness for tougher challenges.

“We're ready for any challenge and if we keep playing the way we have over the last four months, we'll be good against any side,” Agha said at the post-match presentation.

Batting first, Pakistan posted 146/9 in 20 overs. Their bowlers then produced a commanding display to bowl out the UAE for just 105 in 17.4 overs. Star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi was the standout performer and earned the Player of the Match award. He smashed a vital unbeaten 29 off 14 balls to lift Pakistan’s total and also picked up two wickets with the ball.

Haris Rauf and Abrar Ahmed chipped in with two wickets each, while Saim Ayub and captain Salman Ali Agha claimed one apiece.

"We still need to improve our batting in the middle order." - Salman Ali Agha

Despite the win, Agha admitted that Pakistan’s batting in the middle order remains a concern.

“We got the job done but we still need to improve our batting in the middle order. That’s been a concern and something we need to work on. Apart from that, we did a good job. We haven’t batted at our best yet... we’re still just finding our way to 150. If we bat well in the middle overs, we can push it to 170 no matter the opposition,” he explained.

The skipper was full of praise for Afridi’s improvement with the bat and also highlighted Ayub’s impact.

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“Shaheen’s batting has improved a lot—he’s already great with the ball. Saim is someone who has been bringing us back into games and I hope he can continue like this till the end,” Agha concluded.