Is Babar Azam No Longer Pakistan’s Star Batter? Captain Salman Ali Agha Clears Air On Team Role Amid T20 World Cup 2026 Participation Drama

Salman Ali Agha, the captain of Pakistan, has said that he will bat third for the team in the forthcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

What Did Salman Ali Agha Say?

Throughout his T20I career, Ali Agha has primarily batted later in Pakistan’s top six, but he has recently taken the initiative to move up to the vital No. 3 spot to provide the side a more offensive alternative. In the first T20 International of their three-match series in Lahore on Thursday, the potent right-hander looked in terrific form at first drop against Australia. He contributed a fast-paced innings of 39 as Pakistan achieved an outstanding 22-run victory only days before the T20 World Cup began. Later, Ali Agha stated that he would stay at No. 3 for the remainder of the series against Australia and the beginning of the T20 World Cup since he feels that his style of play is best suited to chasing fast runs off opposing spinners. “Yes, I’ll be batting at No.3 (in the future),” Ali Agha stated. “I think I can control spin throughout the Powerplay, and we anticipate facing a lot of spin. I moved up for that reason, and I’ll remain there,” he continued.

Pakistan T20 World Cup Drama

Ali Agha’s promotion up the order means Babar Azam will most likely also face a new role, with the former Pakistan skipper managing 24 runs from 20 deliveries against the Aussies after coming into bat at No.4. It was left to opener and Player of the Match Saim Ayub (40) to do the brunt of the damage for Pakistan as they compiled 168/8 from their 20 overs after they opted to bat first at Gaddafi Stadium, with the Aussies losing six wickets to spin in reply as their run chase fell short. “It was a great game,” said Ali Agha. “We had a strong bat start, but we were unable to finish as we had hoped. It became hard after the first 10 overs when the ball stopped coming onto the bat, but I think we were exceptional with the ball. To tell the truth, I thought 170 was sufficient. We certainly might have scored fifteen more given our position after ten overs, but our spin bowling is so good that I believed 170 would be sufficient on this pitch,” he said.

(With Inputs From ANI)

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