Kandy, Feb 28 Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha admitted that dew, execution issues, and long-standing middle-order concerns played a key role in his team’s exit from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, even after registering a dramatic five-run win over Sri Lanka at the Pallekele International Stadium on Saturday.
Pakistan defended a huge total of 212/8 but failed to restrict Sri Lanka before 147, the margin required to overtake New Zealand on net run rate, resulting in their elimination from the tournament.
Reflecting on the match and Pakistan’s campaign, Agha said losing the toss made the task difficult on a pitch that became increasingly challenging for bowlers due to heavy dew. “I think when I lost the toss, it was always going to be challenging because of the dew. It was a very good pitch and restricting them to 148 was always going to be difficult,” Agha said in the post-match presentation.
“If I had won the toss, it could have been a different story. Dew was definitely a factor, and we couldn’t execute our plans the way we wanted to,” he added.
Agha also pointed to an off day for the spin attack and accepted that such setbacks are part of the T20 format. “Our spin has been brilliant, but today Usman had an off day. That can happen in T20 cricket,” he said.
Looking at the bigger picture, the Pakistan skipper did not shy away from addressing the team’s batting struggles across the tournament. “We couldn’t bat well throughout the tournament. It was only Sahibzada Farhan who batted exceptionally well. If someone had supported him, it could have been a different story,” Agha noted.
He added that the middle order remains a major area of concern. “The middle order has been a problem for a few years now. We need to sit down and seriously look at that department,” he said.
Agha also focused on Pakistan’s failure to finish strongly despite dominating most of the innings. “We missed quite a few runs in the last two overs. If we had scored 10–15 more runs, it could have changed the outcome,” he concluded.
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