Salman Ali Agha: “He is batting at 6 or 7 for the team. People don’t notice this. People see that he isn’t performing, but they don’t see his sacrifice. He is a top order batter”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan T20I captain Salman Ali Agha said people don’t see the sacrifice wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Haris has made.
He noted that Haris is a top order batsman, but is willing to play at number six or seven for the benefit of the team.
The 24-year-old recently featured in Pakistan’s T20I tri-series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan in Sharjah.
In the five matches he played, Haris scored 33 runs at an average of 6.60 and a strike-rate of 84.61.
Even though he didn’t live up to expectations, Salman made it clear that he has no intention of dropping the Peshawar native.
“He is batting at 6 or 7 for the team. People don’t notice this. People see that he isn’t performing, but they don’t see his sacrifice. He is a top order batter, but without any complaints, he never said, ‘I’m a top order batter, I want to bat up there.’ He is sent to whatever position he is asked to, and he gives his best,” Salman was quoted as saying by Geo Super.
“This is the kind of person who has character. And you don’t treat people with character by sidelining them just because they didn’t perform well in one or two series.”
Haris is now representing Pakistan in the 2025 Asia Cup, which is taking place in the UAE.
So far, he has accumulated 131 runs in six matches, which includes a top score of 66, at an average of 26.20 and a strike-rate of 136.45.
The men in green took down Oman and the UAE in the group stage, but also lost to India.
They were beaten by India again in the Super Four, but bounced back with wins over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to book their spot in the final.
The Asia Cup final between India and Pakistan will be held on September 28 in Dubai.
Pakistan squad for UAE T20I tri-series and 2025 Asia Cup: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem
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