Pakistan's Salman Ali Aghan openly vows revenge on India after “no-handshake” episode

The Pakistan National Cricket Team has stormed into the Super 4s of the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 after a 41-run win over Uthe AE in their last group match on September 17, and now all eyes are on their blockbuster clash against India on September 21 in Dubai.

The Salman Ali Agha-led Pakistan National Cricket Team booked their ticket in the Super 4s with a dominant display, but the real test lies ahead, facing India again after the crushing seven-wicket defeat and the infamous no-handshake controversy earlier this week.

Salman Ali Agha sends bold message ahead of India vs Pakistan Super Four clash in Asia Cup 2025

However, Salman Ali Agha looked upbeat after his team’s brilliant win over the UAE, saying that the Men in Green are ready for any challenge. He sent a direct message to India that Pakistan is ready for the fierce battle in the Super Four clash on Sunday.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

Read Also: Haris Rauf exposes PCB's BOYCOTT drama in Pakistan's press conference

Salman Ali Agha said in the post-match presentation after the PAK vs UAE game, “Yeah, we're ready for any challenge. We just want to play good cricket, and if we play good cricket like we’ve been playing for the last few months. I think we'll be good against any side.”

Salman Ali Agha exposes Pakistan's weakness

But the Pakistan skipper admitted that there are still key areas they need to fix, especially their batting in the middle overs. They had a strong start, but then the flow of the runs slowed against the UAE, which has raised the middle-order concerns that have troubled them recently.

However, Salman believes that if Pakistan can tighten up their middle-overs approach, they have the firepower to post 170–180 runs on the board consistently, which could turn the tide in big matches.

Agha further explained, “We got the job done, but we still need to bat better in the middle overs. I think that's what has been concerning for us for a few games now. We need to look at that."

"We haven't batted our best yet, but we're still finding a way to score around 150. If we bat well in the middle overs, we probably will end up scoring 170-180, no matter which team we are playing against. So yeah, the middle overs, if we batted well there, we would be very good.”

Read Also: Not Jay Shah!! This Indian ICC official single-handedly ripped apart PCB

Salman Ali Agha hails Shaheen Afridi as a "match-winner"

Meanwhile, Salman also showered praise on the star fast bowler Shaheen Afridi for his incredible all-round show against the UAE that kept Pakistan alive in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025.

Notably, Shaheen Afridi finished the stunning spell of 2/16 in 3 overs and played a quickfire cameo of an unbeaten 29 runs off 14 balls to help the Men in Green beat the UAE by 41 runs.

Afridi was named Player of the Match for his match-winning efforts, and Agha called him a match-winner. He signed off by saying, “Shaheen Afridi is a match-winner. His batting has improved."

"Abrar has been excellent. He’s the player who’s bringing us back into the game. We’re ready for any challenge. If we play good cricket, we can do well against any team.”