Agha vows ‘more games’ for youngsters despite New Zealand series defeat

WELLINGTON: Pakistan’s T20I captain Salman Ali Agha on Wednesday, shared that the team management will continue to give chances to the youngsters despite their 4-1 defeat in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand.

The green shirts, put into bat first in the low-stakes clash, could muster a modest 128/9 in their allotted overs despite skipper Agha’s fighting half-century.

The home side, in response, made the light work of the run chase as they knocked the winning runs for the loss of two wickets and 60 balls to spare, thanks to Tim Seifert’s belligerent 97-run knock, comprised of six fours and four sixes.

The thumping defeat denied the green shirts a chance of concluding the series on a winning note but their captain Agha remained optimistic and highlighted the positives they took from the five-match assignment, including Hasan Nawaz and Sufiyan Muqeem.

Agha reiterated that they are building a team for the Asia Cup and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup next year and revealed that the youngsters will continue to get opportunities to prove their mettle.

“They were outstanding. We had some positives. Hasan batted well, Sufiyan did well... When we were coming here, we know it's a young side, focus is Asia cup and World cup,” said Agha at the post-match presentation.

“We will give them more games and when they have experience, they will come good.”

Agha was Pakistan’s standout performer in the five-match series, thanks to his consistent all-round performances but was unfazed by individual brilliance as his team came up on the losing side.

He then went on to express hope for a ‘good’ ODI series between Pakistan and New Zealand, scheduled to run from March 29 to April 5.

“I did alright but it doesn't matter when you lose the series. It's going to be a good series (ODI). It will be a different ball game and it's a completely different team."