MANCHESTER – Pakistan stand-in captain Salman Ali Agha expressed disappointment with the team’s performance and the poor form of several senior players following their defeat to England.
Speaking at a post-match press conference, Salman admitted that England outplayed Pakistan in all departments and said his side had failed to maintain consistency throughout the match.
“England outclassed us in every department,” Salman said, acknowledging that Pakistan had the talent but failed to execute their plans effectively on the field.
Discussing the challenges of playing in English conditions, he said Pakistan had always faced difficult conditions in England. He added that the team had begun its tour only about a week earlier, which was not enough time to fully adapt to the conditions.
Salman said Pakistan were currently going through a difficult rebuilding phase and were preparing a younger squad with an eye on the future.
He acknowledged concerns over the form of several senior batters, including himself, Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel, saying their failure to score runs had become a major concern for the team.
The stand-in captain also pointed out that Pakistan’s bowling attack was relatively young and lacked experience, but said the team was focused on developing the players for the future.
Salman expressed hope that Babar Azam would recover fully and return to the side for the next match.
He stressed that Pakistan needed to significantly improve their standards when playing overseas, particularly in Test and limited-overs series in challenging conditions.
“Our current situation is not satisfactory,” Salman said, adding that the team would have to learn from its shortcomings and improve its performance in upcoming matches.
