Dubai [UAE], September 18 : Fresh off the handshake row and the recently resolved dispute with match referee Andy Pycroft, captain Salman Ali Agha has declared that Pakistan is "ready" for any "challenge" that awaits them against arch-rival India in the Super Four fixture at the ongoing Asia Cup on Sunday.
In a high-tempo tournament like the Asia Cup, where rivals tend to play each other in a short span, India and Pakistan will scuffle for the second time in the world of cricket, amid the worsening relations between the two neighbouring nations after the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22.
The group stage fixture was met with severe backlash and calls for a boycott from fans and former cricketers, but the match went ahead on Sunday in Dubai. India drubbed Pakistan with a landslide 7-wicket victory and straightaway returned to the dressing room, refraining from engaging in the long-standing tradition of shaking hands with the opponents. Pakistan's response was swift as they opted out of the post-match presentation.
Ex-Pakistan cricketers were perplexed by India's action. Several of them jumped on the bandwagon to criticise India for its conduct. PCB identified match referee Andy Pycroft as the culprit and demanded his removal for breaching the Code of Conduct. The ICC refused to entertain PCB's demands, which prompted Pakistan to cancel the customary pre-match press conference.
Despite the off-field flares, Salman has set the tone for the second round of the bout and said in the post-match presentation, "We're ready for any challenge, and if we keep playing the way we have over the last four months, we'll be good against any side."
Pakistan Board threatened to boycott their must-win fixture against the UAE after their plea for Pycroft's removal was not met. Pakistan players were asked to stay at the hotel, which is located in Dubai's Marina area. With barely 30 minutes left for the toss, the Men in Green got the approval from the management and headed for the stadium, but the entire fiasco led to an unprecedented one-hour delay.
Salman's side arrived late for the contest, late to show up with their batting performance, but eventually turned up and finished in the second spot of Group A. After being forced to bat, Pakistan were threadbare at 128/8 with one over left before their innings concluded.
Shaheen Afridi, Pakistan's premier pacer, produced fireworks while flaunting his boundary-hitting muscle in front of limited spectators. With a full swing of his bat, he muscled the ball into the stands for back-to-back towering maximums and topped it up with a four to garner 18 runs off Muhammad Rohid Khan.
He returned unbeaten after an influential cameo of 29(14), propelling Pakistan to 146/9. He gave his side a much-needed breathing space, but it wasn't enough, which Salman didn't shy away from admitting. Pakistan's shortcomings with the bat were once again covered up by their spinners, with Abrar Ahmed, Saim Ayub, and Salman himself combined to scalp four wickets for 40 runs in nine overs. The tidy bowling spell steered Pakistan to a daunting 41-run victory and confirmed their berth in the Super Four.
"We got the job done, but we still need to improve our batting in the middle order. That's been a concern and something we need to work on. Apart from that, we did a good job. We haven't batted at our best yet...we're still just finding our way to 150. If we bat well in the middle overs, we can push it to 170 no matter the opposition. Shaheen's batting has improved a lot--he's already great with the ball," Salman concluded.