Srinagar: Pakistan T20 captain Salman Ali Agha has said that he has no feud with star batter Babar Azam and he has been friends with him since school days.
Salman spoke about this during the media conference after the team’s whitewash 3-0 series win over Bangladesh.
“Babar and I have been friends since 2008, during our school days. Back then, there was no social media,” Salman told reporters in Lahore.
“I never followed him online, so there’s no point in unfollowing now. People just like to talk — there’s nothing to it,” he added.
Agha also used the occasion to praise his team’s performance and reaffirm his commitment to playing an aggressive and entertaining brand of cricket.
“I’m very happy with how the young cricketers have performed. Our focus is on how we want to play our cricket — it should be entertaining for the fans,” he stated.
“Next, we’re heading to Bangladesh, followed by a tour of the West Indies. We may need to include more spinners there due to the conditions,” he said. “If the Asia Cup takes place, it will most likely be held in Dubai, where the playing conditions are quite similar.”
He emphasised that the team’s playing style will remain bold and proactive.
“As long as I’m the captain, we’ll continue playing this way — keeping both batters and bowlers under pressure,” he added. “We tried a similar approach in New Zealand, but the conditions there were different.”
Commenting on squad selection, Salman said the core group would be retained, but the doors remain open.
“Our aim is to maintain this group as the core team, but the door is always open for others. Performances in domestic cricket and the PSL are being closely monitored.”
Salman also lauded Mohammad Haris for his strong showing in the series.
“Some people say he doesn’t use his mind while playing, but that’s not true — he played well and showed maturity,” he noted.
He acknowledged the role of fan support and the importance of playing conditions.
“Even in modern-day cricket, conditions matter. The Lahore crowd always shows up. Earlier, our style of play didn’t excite them, but now that we are playing differently, they’re responding. Thank you to all the fans.”
On team roles, Salman highlighted tactical flexibility. “Mohammad Haris is being utilised at number three, while Hassan Nawaz is contributing in the middle order. Our batting positions will keep rotating as per the team’s needs,” he concluded.