Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi lauded Salman Ali Agha, Hussain Talat, and Haris Rauf after their match-winning performances led the Green Shirts to a thrilling six-run victory over Sri Lanka in the ODI series opener.
Put into bat first, Pakistan faced an early collapse, slipping to 95/4 in 23.2 overs, thanks to Wanindu Hasaranga’s triple-wicket spell. However, a spectacular 138-run partnership between Agha and Talat steadied the innings.
Salman Ali Agha top-scored with an unbeaten 105 off 87 balls, featuring nine boundaries, while Hussain Talat contributed a steady 62 off 63 deliveries. Mohammad Nawaz’s quickfire 36 not out from 23 balls further propelled Pakistan to a formidable total close to 300 — well above their initial target of 250-260.
Shaheen praised their efforts, saying, “The way we started and the early wicket losses... credit goes to Agha and Talat. 300 is a big total, and they played brilliantly to take us there.”
Rauf shines with the ball
Sri Lanka began their chase strongly, but Pakistan fought back thanks to pacer Haris Rauf. Rauf struck crucial blows with three wickets in his first two overs and finished with impressive figures of 4/49 from 10 overs.
Support came from Naseem Shah and Faheem Shah, who picked up two wickets each, helping Pakistan defend the total and secure a thrilling six-run win.
Shaheen highlighted Rauf’s impact, saying, “Haris is always a wicket-taker for Pakistan. He was our top performer in white-ball cricket. Haris is our main bowler.”
The victory also featured a memorable fielding moment from Babar Azam, who took a sensational one-handed catch at wide slip to dismiss Sadeera Samarawickrama, prompting Shaheen to quip, “Babar's catch was like Superman.”
