Sport
Salman Agha named Pakistan captain for T20 series and Asia Cup
Salman Agha has been handed the captaincy for the tri-series against Afghanistan and the UAE on August 29, followed by the Asia Cup starting September 9.
Pakistan will head into the upcoming Asia Cup and tri-nation T20 series in the UAE without star batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Sunday.
All-rounder Salman Agha has been handed the captaincy for the tournament, which begins with a tri-series against Afghanistan and the UAE on August 29, followed by the Asia Cup starting September 9.
Babar and Rizwan, who have been central to Pakistan’s T20 setup in recent years, have not featured in the format since December. Head coach Mike Hesson explained the decision, noting that while both remain key players, the current squad members have been delivering strong performances.
“We know what a fine player Babar is,” Hesson said at a press conference. “He has been asked to improve in certain areas, such as handling spin and increasing his strike rate. He is working hard on those aspects. For now, the players in the squad are making a positive impact, and we want to keep that momentum.”
Since Hesson took charge in May, Pakistan have enjoyed mixed results: a 3-0 home series win, a 2-1 loss away to Bangladesh, and a 2-1 victory against the West Indies in the United States. The coach said the current focus is on building towards success in the upcoming competitions.
“Our aim is to win the tri-series and the Asia Cup,” Hesson added. “We want the team to peak in these pinnacle events.”
The squad includes the return of fast bowlers Mohammad Wasim and Salman Mirza, with Mirza back after his seven-wicket haul in Bangladesh earlier this year. Fakhar Zaman also rejoins the team following an injury that kept him out of the recent ODI series in the West Indies, which Pakistan lost 2-1.
Pakistan squad: Salman Agha (captain), Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Hasan Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hussain Talat, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim.
Afghanistan has not yet named its squad for the series or the Asia Cup.
Abu Muslim Farah defeated Khurasan Faryab 2-0 in the 25th match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan.
The match was played on Saturday at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium in Kabul.
Both teams pushed for an opening goal in the first half, but neither side managed to find the net, and the teams went into the break goalless.
Just two minutes into the second half, Abu Muslim Farah broke the deadlock to take a 1-0 lead.
Alireza Panahi later doubled Abu Muslim Farah’s advantage, sealing a 2-0 victory for the Farah side.
Abu Muslim Farah committed 13 fouls and received two yellow cards, while Khorasan Faryab committed seven fouls and received one yellow card.
Matches from the sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League are being broadcast live and exclusively on Ariana Television.
Omar Zawak Herat secured a 1-0 victory over Toofan Herat in the 24th match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan in Kabul.
The match was played on Saturday at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium.
Both sides created scoring opportunities in the first half, but neither team managed to find the net before the break.
Omar Zawak Herat broke the deadlock in the 86th minute when Shadab Malikzadah scored with a fine strike to give his side the lead.
Toofan Herat committed eight fouls and received two yellow cards, while Omar Zawak Herat recorded six fouls and received one yellow card and one red card.
Toofan Herat will face Aino Mina Kandahar on September 29, while Omar Zawak Herat will take on Abu Muslim Farah on September 30.
Matches from the sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League are being broadcast live on Ariana Television.
Afghanistan are set to face India in the Asian Games cricket quarter-finals after Saturday’s rain-hit match between Nepal and Japan confirmed the Pool A standings.
The quarter-final between India and Afghanistan is scheduled to take place on September 28 in Nisshin, Japan.
Nepal secured first place in the group after Japan’s chase was washed out. Nepal had scored 149 runs for four wickets in 15 overs after being sent in to bat, but persistent rain prevented Japan from starting its innings.
The result saw Nepal advance as Pool A winners, with Afghanistan joining them in the quarter-finals as the other qualifying team. Nepal will face Sri Lanka in the quarter-finals.
Japan have been eliminated from the tournament.
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