Salman Ali Agha threw Haris Rauf under the bus, blaming the pacer for Pakistan’s 2025 Asia Cup final defeat to India. The Pakistan skipper pointed out that if he had continued with Abrar Ahmed, then the result could have been different.
Rauf’s spell began in the eighth over, where he conceded seven runs, also being pulled for a four by Sanju Samson. In the 15th over, he leaked 17 runs as Dube smashed him for a four. Meanwhile, Tilak Varma hit him for a four and a six.
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In the 18th over, Dube clobbered him for a six as he went on to leak 13 runs in India’s run chase. In the final over, India needed 10 runs, and Rauf was given the ball. It began with a double for Tilak Varma, followed by a six, pulled in front of the square. Then Tilak took a single, levelling the scores. In the fourth ball, Rinku Singh wrapped up proceedings, guiding him past mid-on for a four as India clinched their record-extending ninth Asia Cup title.
Salman Ali Agha regrets Asia Cup final mistake
Speaking on the ARY podcast, Agha said, “There are a lot of things. One year has passed since I began to captain, and that too in two tournaments. So many mistakes must have happened. If our results weren’t good, then mistakes would have happened. In the Asia Cup final, I decided that if I had continued with Abrar, I never know what would have happened to the result. That is one thing I would like to change.”
“If you see the other side, I gave Haris the ball; he was our main bowler in that match. He couldn’t bowl well, couldn’t execute his plans properly. I feel that if I continue with Abrar, you never know what would have happened to the game”, he added.
During the run chase, Abrar got Sanju Samson’s (24) key wicket, finishing with figures of 1/29 (4) at an economy rate of 7.20. Meanwhile, Rauf was the most expensive Pakistan bowler, finishing with figures of 0/50 (3.4).
During the interview, Agha also opened up about the Asia Cup handshake controversy. In the tournament, India captain Suryakumar Yadav declined the customary pre-match handshake with his Pakistani counterpart as a mark of solidarity with families affected by the Pahalgam terror attack, where 26 people lost their lives.