He admitted that Pakistan\u2019s batting faltered at crucial stages despite a solid start
\n Sharjah
\nPakistan captain Salman Ali Agha admitted his team only had themselves to blame after suffering their first defeat of the tri-nation T20I series on Tuesday night, going down to Afghanistan by 18 runs at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
\nOpting to bat first, Afghanistan put up 169\/5 in their 20 overs, thanks largely to a superb 113-run stand for the second wicket between Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal. Despite early pressure when Saim Ayub removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz for just 8, Afghanistan regrouped. Zadran\u2019s 65 off 45 balls and Atal\u2019s 64 off 45 ensured the innings never lost momentum. Faheem Ashraf was the standout for Pakistan with career-best figures of 4\/27, while Saim chipped in with one wicket.
\nChasing 170, Pakistan looked in control at 60 for two in the eighth over, but a flurry of wickets in the middle phase shifted momentum firmly in Afghanistan\u2019s favour. Eventually, the Men in Green could only muster 151\/9, falling short by 18 runs. At the post-match presentation, Agha acknowledged that the game had been within reach before his side faltered.
\n\u201cI think 170 was chaseable. The bowlers did well, but we lost too many wickets in the middle overs. At 60 for two after eight, we were in a good position but lost our way,\u201d the captain said.
\nHe praised Afghanistan\u2019s spinners for tightening the screws, adding: \u201cAgainst quality spinners, if you give them a sniff, they\u2019ll take it. We still lost by only 18 runs \u2014 with better batting in the middle, it could\u2019ve been a different story.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
He admitted that Pakistan\u2019s batting faltered at crucial stages despite a solid start Sharjah Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha admitted his team only had themselves to blame after suffering their first defeat of the tri-nation T20I series on Tuesday night, going down to Afghanistan by 18 runs at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Opting to bat […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-500921","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n