Pakistan skipper Agha confirms he will bat at No. 3 in T20 WC

As Pakistan provided hints to a new-look top six during the first T20I against Australia, captain Salman Ali Agha has confirmed he will bat at No. 3 for the side during the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Agha has predominantly batted later in Pakistan’s top six across his T20I career but most recently has taken it upon himself to move up to the crucial No. 3 position in order to provide a more attacking option for his side.

The right-hander appeared in good touch at first drop against Australia in the opening T20I of their three-match series in Lahore on Thursday when contributing a quick fire innings of 39 as Pakistan recorded an impressive 22-run triumph just days out from the start of the T20 World Cup.

“Yes, I’ll be batting at No. 3 (in the future). We expect to face a lot of spin, and I believe I can dominate spin during the Powerplay. That’s why I moved up, and that is where I’ll stay,” Ali Agha was quoted by ICC.

Ali Agha’s promotion up the order means Babar Azam will most likely also face a new role, with the former Pakistan skipper managing 24 runs from 20 deliveries against the Aussies after coming into bat at No. 4.

Pakistan successfully defended their 168-run total in the first of the three T20Is against Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Thursday evening.

In reply, the Aussies lost six wickets to spin in reply as their run chase fell 22 runs short of the target.

Speaking about the game, Agha said, “We started well with the bat but couldn’t finish the way we wanted. It became challenging after the first 10 overs as the ball stopped coming onto the bat, but I think we were outstanding with the ball.

“To be honest, I felt 170 was enough. Given how we were placed after 10 overs, we probably could have scored 15 more, but I knew 170 would be plenty on this pitch because our spin bowling is outstanding.”

Stand-in Australia captain Travis Head wasn’t too concerned by the loss, though he admitted there was plenty of work for his side to do before the T20 World Cup commences on February 7.

“There are definitely positives, but also things to work on,” Head said.

“We have two more opportunities before we head to Sri Lanka for the (T20) World Cup, and we want to continue playing as well as we can.

“Even though the result didn’t go our way today, there are things we did well and areas we can improve.”

The second and third matches of the series will be played on Saturday and Sunday.

Meanwhile, the uncertainty surrounding Pakistan’s participation in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 has sparked widespread trolling on social media, with Iceland and Uganda Cricket leading the charge with humorous posts on replacing Pakistan that quickly went viral.

Amid the uncertainty, Iceland Cricket took a tongue-in-cheek swipe at the PCB, joking that they were prepared to step in should Pakistan withdraw from the tournament.

“We really need Pakistan to decide soon upon their participation in the T20 WC. We are ready to take off as soon as they pull out on 2nd Feb, but the flight schedule is a logistical nightmare to get us to Colombo in good time for 7th Feb. Our opening bat is an insomniac!” Iceland Cricket wrote on X.

Agencies