"My boys aren’t just here to make up the numbers" - Salman Ali Agha’s strong message after crushing NZ

The Pakistan National Cricket Team made a dominating comeback in the ongoing five-match T20I series against the New Zealand National Cricket Team, and the visiting captain, Salman Ali Agha, was over the moon after they kept the series alive in Auckland on Friday (March 21).

After Pakistan thrashed the Black Caps by nine wickets in the third T20I at Eden Park, Captain Salman Ali Agha made it clear that they have not come to New Zealand to just participate in the white-ball series, but they are here to dominate.

Pakistan’s fastest T20I chase stuns New Zealand in Auckland

Pakistan’s fearless approach finally paid off in spectacular fashion as they crushed New Zealand by nine wickets in a high-scoring thriller at Eden Park. After losing the first two T20Is against the Black Caps, the Men in Green stormed back into the ongoing five-match T20I series with a dominant chase, chasing the daunting 205-run target easily in just 16 overs in Auckland.

Read Also: Hasan Nawaz demolishes Babar Azam's all-time record in just his 3rd T20I

The hero of the match was Hasan Nawaz, who bounced back from two ducks to script history with a breathtaking maiden T20I century in the third T20I against the Kiwis. His unbeaten 44-ball hundred was the fastest by a Pakistani batter in T20I cricket.

The 22-year-old’s century completely overshadowed Mark Chapman's 94 in Auckland. Nawaz and Mohammed Haris (41) stitched an explosive 74-run stand in just 35 balls to set the tone for Pakistan’s chase. Captain Salman then took charge, anchoring the innings with an unbeaten 51 and stitching a match-winning 133-run partnership with Nawaz to take the side over the line.

Salman Ali Agha declares Pakistan’s intent to dominate after winning the third T20I

With this emphatic victory, Pakistan has kept the five-match series alive at 1-2, sending a strong message that they are far from done following their embarrassing ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign. Notably, it was the fastest chase by Pakistan in the men’s T20I cricket.

After the match, the skipper took to his social media handle X to laud his team for their efforts in the commanding win over New Zealand in the third T20I. He noted that the Men in Green proved that they can achieve anything, saying they showed immense grit and fighting spirit despite not having that experience.

As this win sent a strong message that Pakistan’s new generation is ready to take on any challenge, Salman urged the fans to keep supporting their players and team, saying their love and support inspire them to win the matches for the country.

Read Also: 'Axed' Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan finally react to Hasan Nawaz’s historic T20I ton vs NZ

My boys aren’t just here to make up the numbers: Salman Ali Agha

Salman posted on, X: “My boys aren’t just here to make up the numbers. This is an inexperienced team, but it’s a winning team if you back them. It’s your team if you give them the support they need. Alhamdulillah for the win, much needed in keeping the series alive. Very, very well played Hasan and Haris.”

My boys aren’t just here to make up the numbers. This is an inexperienced team but it’s a winners team if you back them. It’s your team,if you give them the support they need.Alhamdulillah for the win, much needed in keeping the series alive. Very very well played Hasan and Haris pic.twitter.com/Gvim64MhGs

— Salman Ali Agha (@SalmanAliAgha1) March 21, 2025

Earlier, Salman said at the post-match presentation, “Outstanding performance. Proper game we have played; the bowlers started really well, and then the two youngsters batted really well. If you back the youngsters, they will do well, like today.

200 is a par score on this good wicket, and I just said to the guys we can chase this down if you bat well. The bowlers did really well; restricting them to 200 was a very good effort from the bowlers, and I'm very happy. It was do or die, and we just wanted to go out and enjoy ourselves today. Looking forward to the next game as well.”