‘We have to improve our decisions’ - Salman Ali Agha’s honest admission after Pakistan’s elimination from T20 World Cup

Published - 01 Mar 2026, 12:57 IST | Updated - 01 Mar 2026, 13:00 IST

Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha admitted his side failed to live up to expectations at the T20 World Cup 2026 after their campaign came to an end despite a narrow win over Sri Lanka in their last Super 8 encounter.

Needing a 65-run victory to edge past New Zealand on net run rate and seal a semi-final berth, Pakistan had to restrict Sri Lanka to 147 or below after posting a formidable 212 with the bat. However, things did not go according to plan as they conceded 207 runs.

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka’s breathtaking knock of 76 off 31 balls, nearly turned the game on its head before Pakistan managed to find an escape, winning by just five runs, a result that was not enough to keep their hopes alive. Salman Ali Agha gave his thoughts after the match.

“If you look at the whole tournament and I had to sum it up, we underperformed. Our middle order never performed, and we over-relied on Sahibzada [Farhan] for our runs,”  Agha said at the post-match press conference.

Pakistan’s struggles with the bat were visible again. Sahibzada Farhan was the standout performer for them throughout the tournament, and he smashed a yet another century that saw him surpass Virat Kohli’s record for most runs in a single T20 World Cup edition, finishing with 383 runs.

In Pallekele, Pakistan paired Fakhar Zaman to open alongside Farhan after he had been benched initially and later being included but in the middle order. The move paid off as the duo stitched together a massive 176-run opening stand.

However, the innings went downhill thereafter, with Pakistan losing eight wickets for just 34 runs in four overs. None of the remaining batters managed to reach double digits. Agha himself fell for a two-ball duck and later admitted that batting was not easy for new batters on the tricky surface.

“We take responsibility. We look at conditions and the situation required before selecting our playing XI as captain and coach together. I take responsibility, as does the coach. We will have to improve our decision-making under pressure. There will always be pressure in ICC events, because you are playing the world's best teams. And every game is important because if you lose one, you feel on the brink of elimination,” he concluded.

Despite the disappointing campaign, Agha refrained from making any immediate decisions regarding his captaincy future. Having recently completed his 50th T20I as captain, he stated he would not make any emotional calls.

Individually, it was a tournament to forget for the Pakistan skipper, who managed only 60 runs in six innings, with 38 of those coming in a single outing against Namibia.