Echoing his cricket board’s stance, Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha on Thursday stressed that the decision to boycott the T20 World Cup match against India was taken by their government and was “not in our control”.

Pakistan on Sunday announced a boycott of its high-profile men’s T20 World Cup group league fixture against India on February 15 here. However, the Pakistani government cleared the national team’s participation in the rest of the global event starting February 7.

“Yeah, the India game, it’s not in our control. It’s a government decision, and we respect that. Whatever they are going to say, we do that,” Agha said during the captain’s conference.

Agha said in the event of the two arch-rivals clashing in the knockouts, they will again abide by the decision taken by the Pakistan government.

“Well, I have mentioned that before. It is a government decision and we respect that. We will do what they are going to say and we will do that.

“Regardless – I do not know if the game is going to happen or not, but the government has said one thing and we are going to do that. I do not know about the game.

“If we have to play them again in the semifinal or final, we will have to go back to them and act on their advice,” Agha said.

Pakistan’s decision, which was conveyed through an official government statement, is a political protest against Bangladesh’s removal from the tournament.

The ICC declined Bangladesh’s request to shift matches from India to Sri Lanka on security grounds.

Agha said it was unfortunate to see Bangladesh not playing in the tournament.

“Well, they are our brothers. I’ll say they can support us in the tournament as well. And it’s really sad to see them. They are not playing the World Cup.”

During the press conference here, Agha was also reminded about Pakistan’s embarrassing defeat to lesser-fancied USA in the last edition of the tournament in the Americas.

Both Pakistan and USA are in the same group this time too.

“Yes, we lost to the USA in the last World Cup, but that’s history now. It’s a new World Cup, a new team and a new combination, and we are very excited about it.”

“It’s my first World Cup as a captain, and I’m very excited about that. I don’t know how to describe myself as a captain.

“As a captain, I just want to lead from the front and do as much as I can for the team, get the best out of the team, and prepare an environment where they can play at their best,” Agha said.

Looking to do well here after win against Australia

The Pakistan captain said the team will take confidence from their 3-0 series win against Australia last week at home though the visitors were without few of their top players.

Agha was relieved when the discussion switched to Pakistan’s success after the queries on their government’s decision to boycott the India game.

“Nice to have a question apart from the India game. We have been playing really good cricket. I think post-Asia Cup, we haven’t lost a series yet and we have won most of our games.

“We are playing really good cricket. Everything is coming along very nicely. We are very hopeful and excited for this World Cup and really hope to do well here as well.”

Pakistan, however, have struggled to perform in ICC tournaments, getting knocked out in the first rounds of the last three global events while also losing to India.

“Yes definitely, in the last three events we haven’t played the cricket that was expected by us by the people, or what we expect from ourselves as a team. But that is history and we can only learn from that and we have learnt a lot from it.

The Pakistan skipper also said the team has settled down since arriving here and called Sri Lanka his “second home”.

Having refused to play against India, the margin for error is very small for Pakistan to progress into the knockouts, with Sri Lanka’s unpredictable weather making things much more tricker.

“The weather, you can’t control. We just here to play good cricket and whatever challenges will throw us, we will deal with that,” he added.

Published – February 06, 2026 12:42 am IST

Hussain Talat held his nerve to secure a win for Pakistan in the Super Four match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: AP

Legendary India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has put out a bold claim regarding who he believes could become the “poster boy” of Pakistan cricket. Pakistan are the hosts of the Champions Trophy 2025, and it marks the first time the nation is hosting a major ICC event in nearly three decades. Ahead of the tournament, Ashwin singled out one player to star for the hosts during the event. The twist is, it wasn’t star batter Babar Azam or captain and wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan.

Instead, Ashwin stated that 31-year-old all-rounder Salman Ali Agha could end up surpassing the legacy of Babar and Rizwan.

“I am excited about two players. Tayyab Tahir and Salman Ali Agha. What a player Salman Agha is. He has quality and pressure-handling ability,” Ashwin said, speaking on his Hindi-language YouTube channel ‘Ash ki Baat‘.

Ashwin pointed out the qualities that Salman Ali Agha has as to why he thinks he could become a huge player for Pakistan.

“I am seeing a Pakistani player with on-field presence for the first time in many years. I really hope he does not go like some of the other players did. He could become the poster boy for Pakistan cricket. I believe he has so much ability that he can surpass Babar Azam and Rizwan,” Ashwin added.

In 34 ODIs for Pakistan, Agha has smashed 957 runs at an average of over 45. He has also taken 16 wickets, making him a potent all-round option for them.

Recently, Agha slammed 134 and masterminded a chase of 353 for Pakistan against South Africa.

“I am not sure about his exact age but I am a fan of his game. He has the skill to play all kinds of shots,” Ashwin stated.

Salman Ali Agha made his debut for Pakistan in Tests and ODIs only in 2022, but has now established himself as arguably their most important player for team balance. Agha has also hit three centuries in 21 Test matches for Pakistan, whilst also picking up 19 wickets.

Pakistan face New Zealand, India and Bangladesh during the Champions Trophy 2025, with the game against India happening in Dubai.

The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy is just around the corner, with every team hoping to hit the ground running when the eight-team tournament begins from February 19. One such team that would be the cynosure of everyone’s eyes will be host Pakistan, captained by Mohammad Rizwan. They enter the competition as defending champions, after winning the last edition held in 2017 in England. But do they shape up as one of the strong contenders to win the title? Here’s a SWOT analysis from IANS of the Pakistan team that is set to begin their campaign with the tournament opener against New Zealand.

Strength: Pakistan possess players who can be game-changers on a particular day. Fakhar Zaman, back in the ODI team after the 2023 World Cup, can change the game around in a jiffy. If Babar Azam discovers his good form, then Pakistan will surely feel good about posting a huge total.

Skipper Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel and Salman Ali Agha are in great touch which augurs well for Pakistan. Their pace-heavy attack comprising Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf (if fit for the tournament) and Mohammad Hasnain adds the reliability and winning factor to the team.

Weakness: With Saim Ayub out due to an ankle fracture and Abdullah Shafique omitted due to poor form, Pakistan have a new-look opening combination with Fakhar and Babar, which hasn’t fired so far. With the first ten overs being crucial to post a big total, the Fakhar-Babar opening combination is a weak link.

Moreover, Pakistan left everyone baffled by picking one specialist spinner in Abrar Ahmed, who is injury-prone. With neither Sufiyan Muqeem nor Shadab Khan picked, it means Pakistan’s squad balance is a bit off. The lower order of Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf and Khushdil Shah is another weak link as they haven’t done anything substantial at the international level.

Opportunity: Pakistan last hosted a multi-nation cricket tournament when the 1996 World Cup was on, including the final held in Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. Now 29 years later, Pakistan are back to being the host for an ICC event via the return of the Champions Trophy.

Though Pakistan will host 11 out of 15 matches in its three renovated venues in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi, it is still a considerable achievement for a country who hasn’t hosted big-ticket sporting events due to violent acts, especially the March 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan Test team.

If Pakistan step up in both on and off-field activities during the Champions Trophy, it can pave the way for more sporting events to come its way in a country which has been battling economic and political instability.

Threat: As the hosts’ of the Champions Trophy, Pakistan’s performances will be closely watched by people at home and all over the world. While teams can thrive under this pressure, it can also cause them to crumble under it and make an early exit from the competition. With Pakistan carrying that unpredictable tag, it means their performances can go either way and that’s a big threat for them.

Pakistan’s Champions Trophy preparations were dealt a huge blow on Friday, as the tournament hosts lost the tri-nation series final to New Zealand by 5 wickets. For New Zealand, it was all about the bragging rights as both teams will square off at the same venue in the opening match of the Champions Trophy on February 19. However, during the final, a bizarre incident took place in Karachi as a black cat entered the ground, resulting in the halt of play for a few minutes.

The incident happened during New Zealand’s chase. The play was abrupted for a few minutes until the cat crossed the boundary ropes and found a place to sit there. During the first innings, the cameras also caught a kite chasing down the cat, unintentionally forcing the latter to cross the playing field.

Reacting to the incident, former New Zealand pacer Danny Morrisson, who was on commentary, cheekily said, “The Black Caps are joined on the field by the black cat.”

We’ve got some feline company enjoying cricket on the ground#3Nations1Trophy | #PAKvNZ pic.twitter.com/Nx2RMmzA82

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) February 14, 2025

Pakistan vice-captain Salman Ali Agha, who scored a century in the previous game against South Africa, was named ‘Player of the Series’. He ended the series with 219 runs and 1 wicket.

“I am batting well. We wanted to win, but that didn’t happen. The focus will be on the CT. [Surface] This can be expected from Karachi. One wicket will be a belter, one will be two paced. I love batting. It was a challenging pitch to bat on. The pitch was gripping. It was a 280-290 wicket. We were 30 runs short. But my wicket and then Rizwan’s wicket took the game away from us,” Agha said at the presentation ceremony.

Reflecting on the loss, Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan said: “We wanted to bat first because we thought in the second half, the pitch would be tough. But their bowlers put a squeeze on us. We were looking to target 280 but they got it back. We were 15 runs short. They were bowling very well. Me and Agha were trying to build the stand. We tried doing that, but they were not giving us the balls. We kept the target to 280, not 300. My wicket was crucial. [Fielding] We have to bring the improvement. This is one department we are lacking. [Abrar] He has really improved. The others have to improve as well. [CT’25] We wanted to prepare for the 19th as well. So that is why we wanted to bat first as well.”

Salman Ali Agha had a rather cheeky comment for Mohammad Rizwan’s knock.© X (Twitter)

Pakistan and New Zealand also face off in the first game of Champions Trophy 2025.© AFP

Pakistan vs New Zealand LIVE Streaming, Tri-Series Final: Pakistan take on New Zealand in the final of the tri-series, in what will be both team’s final ODI before the Champions Trophy 2025 gets underway. Incidentally, the two sides play again on February 19, to kickstart the Champions Trophy. New Zealand have picked up two dominant wins in the tri-series. On the other hand, hosts Pakistan chased down a target of over 350 against South Africa to enter the final, thanks to brilliant centuries by captain Mohammad Rizwan and vice-captain Salman Ali Agha. A win for Pakistan would see them win their third ODI series in a row, after away wins in Australia and South Africa.

Pakistan vs New Zealand LIVE Streaming, Tri-Nation Series Final 2024-25 LIVE Telecast: Check Where and How to Watch?

When will the Pakistan vs New Zealand, ODI Tri-Nation Series final match take place?

The Pakistan vs New Zealand, ODI Tri-Nation Series final match will take place on Friday, February 14 (IST).

Where will the Pakistan vs New Zealand, ODI Tri-Nation Series final match be held?

The Pakistan vs New Zealand, ODI Tri-Nation Series final match will be held at the National Stadium in Karachi, Pakistan.

What time will the Pakistan vs New Zealand, ODI Tri-Nation Series final match start?

The Pakistan vs New Zealand, ODI Tri-Nation Series final match will start at 2:30 PM IST. The toss will take place at 2:00 PM IST.

Which TV channels will show the live telecast of the Pakistan vs New Zealand, ODI Tri-Nation Series final match?

The Pakistan vs New Zealand, ODI Tri-Nation Series final match will not be televised live in India.

Where to follow the live streaming of the Pakistan vs New Zealand, ODI Tri-Nation Series final match?

The Pakistan vs New Zealand, ODI Tri-Nation Series final match will be live streamed on the FanCode app and website.

(All details are as per information provided by the broadcaster)

Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan has blamed the country’s culture behind the team’s “unpredictable” cricketing record. Rizwan led Pakistan’s highest successful chase in ODIs, with the hosts achieving 353 in 49 overs to enter the final of the tri-nation series on Wednesday. Rizwan played a captain’s knock to remain not out on 122, while vice-captain Salman Ali Agha slammed 134 for his maiden century. Rizwan and his depute added 260 runs, the second biggest ODI stand for the 4th wicket as Pakistan recovered from 91/3 to get over the line comfortably in the end.

On being asked to explain the reason behind Pakistan cricket team’s unpredictable nature, Rizwan blamed the country’s culture behind the same.

“The answer to this is very long because the unpredictability factor is maily due to our culture. It’s always been the case. Our kids don’t know what to do in life. So if you look at our cricket, whether it’s Australia, Zimbabwe or even today, there has always been this unpredictability. It’s a rarity that we win games one-sided. We are putting the efforts, but this is not our cricket’s fault alone, our culture has always been like this. Even our kids future is unpredictable,” Rizwan said during a post-match press conference.

pic.twitter.com/rdtojtj6xU

— Hassan (@Toata_hoa_saaz) February 12, 2025

Rizwan also attributed the team’s success against South Africa to divine intervention and strategic planning.

“When God helps, you break all kinds of records. We gave our full effort. We were looking to restrict them to 320 but Klaasen took them to 350. When we were going back after the first innings, Khushdil said we had chased 350 before. Someone said we had chased 340 against some other team. When Agha and I were batting, we set targets for five-five overs. We failed to achieve that a couple of times but mostly did. Our fielding still needs some improvement. Hopefully, we will be able to do it because that’s how champion teams play,” Rizwan said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

“When we were going back after the first innings, Khushdil (Shah) said we had chased 350 before so those were inspiring words.”

Rizwan and Agha’s 260-run partnership was highest for the 4th wicket in ODIs for Pakistan, breaking the record of 206 between Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik.

Pakistan will now take on New Zealand in the final on Friday, hoping to avenge their defeat in the opening match of the tournament.

Pakistan vs West Indies 1st Test Day 2, LIVE Scorecard Updates© AFP