Pakistan ‘always ready’ for fight with India: Salman Agha

Sports Desk

Pakistan captain Salman Agha said on Saturday that despite a slight delay in getting the green light to take on India, his team was “always ready” to face their arch-rivals. He expressed his confidence on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s high-voltage match in the Twenty20 World Cup.

The 35,000-capacity R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo is already full to capacity for the most exciting and lucrative match in world cricket. In addition, it is expected that billions of viewers around the world will enjoy the duel on television screens.

The Islamabad government on Monday night backed down from its decision to boycott this blockbuster match in Asr’s Group ‘A’.

The match was confirmed to be played after the government gave the green signal.
“This is a very big match and the atmosphere is huge. Whatever the decision, we were always ready for this match,” Agha said before the practice session at the stadium on Saturday.

Pakistan started the tournament by defeating the Netherlands by 3 wickets in their first match. They then won against the United States by 32 runs. On the other hand, India have also won both their matches so far.

Regarding the conditions, the Pakistani captain said, “We are in good momentum. We are in Colombo since the beginning of the tournament, so we hope the conditions here will help us. However, if we want to win the match, we have to play good cricket.”

Will politics overshadow the on-field battle?
The weather could play a role in the much-anticipated match; rain is forecast in Colombo on Sunday evening.

​Aghar believes that spinners will dominate the wickets. He has called Tariq Usman his trump card against India’s strong batting lineup. Although there have been controversies about Tariq’s bowling action and the break in his delivery stride, the captain has dismissed them.

“Tareek is bowling well and I am sure his mystery element will be a trump card for us. His action has been cleared twice, so there is no worry about that,” Agha said.

​Last year, there was a lack of courtesy between the players of the two teams in the three matches of the Asia Cup in Dubai. However, Agha expressed hope that this time it will not be the same. He said, “The game should be played in the true spirit of cricket. This has been the tradition for a long time. But what they (India) want, we will understand only tomorrow.”

Chances of securing Super Eight
​Tomorrow’s winner will secure their place in the next stage, the ‘Super Eight’ round.
​There is some doubt about India’s explosive opener Abhishek Sharma; he is suffering from a stomach problem. Wishing the opponent’s recovery, Agha said, “I hope he plays tomorrow and recovers quickly. We want to fight with the best, best wishes for him.”