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As Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka in their last Super 8 fixture of the ongoing T20 World Cup on Saturday, Men in Green skipper Salman Agha felt winning the toss could've changed the game much more in their favour and said the struggles in the middle order on his side continue.
Agha also felt that Sahibzada Farhan, who made a stellar hundred, didn't get enough support from the other end, and Pakistan couldn't execute plans. Pakistan won the game by 5 runs and finished tied with the Blackcaps on three points, but a better Net Run Rate sees the Kiwis advance to the semi-finals. Farhan scored a century while Fakhar Zaman hit a fiery fifty as Pakistan posted 212 for 8 in 20. Pakistan didn't end their innings well, as after a 176-run opening stand between Farhan and Fakhar, Pakistan only made 36 runs in the final four overs and also lost seven wickets after Fakhar was removed in the 16th over. "Was always challenging after losing the toss because of the dew. Could've been a different story had we won the toss. Dew was a factor. We couldn't execute plans. Usman had an off-day, it can happen. We couldn't bat well throughout the tournament. If Farhan had more support, it would have been better. The middle order has been a problem for a few years now, we'll have to look at that. Couldn't finish the way we wanted to. We batted well for 18 overs, the opposition did well in the other two. Even 160 would've been difficult to defend," Salman Agha said after the match. Farhan was awarded player of the match for his brilliant innings of 100 runs in 60 balls, with nine fours and five sixes. Speaking after the match, Farhan said, "Wanted to do well for the team. Wanted Fakhar to ton up, actually. The ton didn't work for the team, that's why I'm sad. I have been feeling well, which brings confidence. Knew I could hit whatever was in my arc. All credit goes to domestic cricket, it's brought out the habit of scoring at pace and scoring big." Farhan also made history by overtaking Indian batting icon Virat Kohli for most runs in a single edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup and also became the first-ever batter to score two centuries within the same edition of the prestigious T20I tournament. In seven matches and six innings this tournament, Sahibzada has scored 383 runs at an average of 76.60, with a strike rate of 160.25, including two centuries, two fifties and a best score of 100*. He has overtaken Virat's run tally of 319 runs in the 2014 edition of the tournament. (ANI)
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