Salman Agha Applauds Faheem Ashraf’s Impact After Pakistan’s T20 World Cup Opener Victory

Pakistan T20I captain Salman Ali Agha hailed the performance of Faheem Ashraf after the green shirts clinched a nail-biting victory over Netherlands in the T20 World Cup opener. He said the allrounder played an exceptional innings under pressure, giving Pakistan a vital victory in the first match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

Pakistan completed the chase of 148 runs in the last over of the match, as Faheem Ashraf played an incredible knock when the middle order of the team failed miserably. He played a quick cameo of 29 off just 11 balls, hitting two fours and three sixes.

“We had to do it the hard way. Restricting them to 148 was crucial, I’d take that total any day. Bad overs can make the game slip away, but Faheem played a superb innings. Our bowlers have been performing consistently over the last six months, and they showed it again today,” said Pakistan T20I captain, Salman Ali Agha.

Speaking about the batting collapse, Salman Ali Agha said the team played well in the first 10 overs, but lost the momentum afterwards. He added that the team should have absorbed the pressure better in the middle overs, though he was satisfied with the end result.

“We batted well in the first 10 overs, but then we lost a couple of wickets and the pressure came in. We need to absorb that better. It’s not easy to start, but it’s a good wicket to bat on,” said Salman Ali Agha.

He then said that batters need to take responsibility after getting set at the crease. It is one of those points the team will definitely discuss in detail, so that better results could be achieved ahead in the tournament.

 “If a batter gets set, he needs to take it deep and finish the game. That’s something we couldn’t fully do today, but it’s what we need to focus on going forward,” added Salman Ali Agha