'If Agha had failed, it could have been difficult for Pakistan,' says Ramiz Raja

SHARJAH: Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja on Saturday credited Salman Ali Agha for Pakistan’s victory over Afghanistan in the opening match of the tri-nation series, while criticising Pakistan’s batting lineup. 

Speaking on his YouTube channel after the match, Raja said that at one stage the game was slipping away to Afghanistan and had Salman Ali Agha not scored runs, Pakistan could have been in serious trouble.

"Pakistan made 182 runs on this pitch, but even then it looked like Afghanistan had a chance to win because conditions hadn’t changed much by the time they began batting. If Salman Ali Agha had failed, things could have been very difficult for Pakistan," he said.

Criticising Pakistan’s middle order, Raja noted that no batter was able to settle at the crease.

"After putting the opposition under pressure, giving away your wickets so easily is hard to understand. The top order showed intent, but no one played a big innings. Some got out for 15, some for 20, others for 10. When you had the opposition on the back foot, why were wickets falling so carelessly?"

Raja emphasised that Pakistani batters need to bat with more responsibility and credited Salman Ali Agha for showing the required maturity. 

"In such situations, you have to bat with intelligence, and Salman Ali Agha did exactly that. If he had been dismissed early, Pakistan would have struggled to reach even 150, and Afghanistan would have been right in the game," he added.

Raja also highlighted that the Sharjah pitch was not like it used to be in the past, which made it challenging for Afghanistan. 

"Afghanistan threatened Pakistan, but Pakistan proved to be more professional. The credit goes to Salman Ali Agha, who set the batting platform for Pakistan," he said. 

Raja stressed that after losing wickets, batsmen must play with maturity, something Pakistan’s batters failed to do.

"This was not the typical Sharjah pitch where the ball grips and spins. Afghanistan’s record here is excellent for a reason, they have nearly a 65% win record in Sharjah because the conditions suit their spinners,” he concluded.