E-Paper
Sign In
Sat, Jan 24, 2026 | Shaban 5, 1447 | Fajr 05:44 | DXB 
16.1°C
iPhone | iPad
Android
Pakistan ready for the 2026 T20 World Cup, says Salman Agha
The Pakistan captain was pleased, especially with the way his team outplayed Sri Lanka in the final of the T20 tri-series at Rawalpindi Stadium on Saturday
Pakistan captain Salman Agha said his team is on the right track ahead of next year's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Agha was pleased, especially with the way Pakistan outplayed Sri Lanka in the final of the T20 tri-series at Rawalpindi on Saturday.
Recommended For You
After spinner Mohammad Nawaz (4-0-17-3) and pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi (3-0-18-3) produced brilliant spells of bowling to restrict Sri Lanka to 114 all out in 19.1 overs, Pakistan reached home with six wickets and eight balls to spare.
Babar Azam remained unbeaten on 37 off 34 balls as young opener Saim Ayub scored 36 to guide the home team to a comprehensive victory.
"It was a great performance from us. These have been very good two months for us, against South Africa and Sri Lanka. We have been doing well in both ODIs and T20Is," said Agha, whose team also beat South Africa in two white-ball series (T20Is and ODIs) recently at home.
Agha also emphasised the importance of having a good bench strength as the team prepares for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
"Before going to the World Cup, you want your 15 ready. If anything happens to your main players, you want to have the backup ready," he said.
"So we are giving chances to everyone. I think we are pretty much ready for the World Cup. We still have six games before the World Cup to try out things if we want, but think we are pretty much clear on our 15 players."
Meanwhile, Nawaz was named player-of-the-series for his 10 wickets in five matches, including three in the final.
"To deliver when the team requires you is very important. I plan with the coaches and try to keep it simple because as a fingerspinner, you don't have many options," he said.
"So I try to read the game and bowl accordingly."
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, struggled to cope with Pakistan's bowling attack in the final as only three of their batters, including top-scorer Kamil Mishara (59 off 47 balls), reached double figures.
"We couldn't build on a good platform because Pakistan bowled very well," said Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka.
"We need to fine-tune our game ahead of the next series and the World Cup."
Rituraj Borkakoty
Rituraj Borkakoty is Sports Editor and has spent more than two decades writing on his sporting heroes. He also loves an underdog story, so if you have one, share it with him. He would love to bring it to life.
Don’t just scroll. Know it all. Sign up for your daily UAE news fix.
Get the top stories of the day right in your inbox.
