Pakistan captain Salman Agha admitted that his side’s inability to make the right decisions under pressure was the main reason behind their repeated failures at ICC events following their exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup T20 on Saturday.
PAK vs SL, T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8s: Scorecard | Highlighting
Pakistan were eliminated despite beating Sri Lanka by five runs in their last Super 8s match. They needed to restrict the co-hosts to 147 or less to overhaul New Zealand’s clean run rate, but Dasun Shanaka’s blistering 76 not out from 31 balls and Pavan Rathnayake’s 58 guided Sri Lanka to 207 for 6. Despite Sahibzada Farhan’s stunning century and the help of Fakhar Zaman, it was a stunning 1248, Pakistan28 not enough. Pakistan and New Zealand finished level on three points, with the Kiwis progressing on better net pace. England have already sealed their place after winning all three Super 8s matches.
PRESSURE REMAINS PAKISTAN’S ACHILLES HEEL
In the post-match press conference, Agha spoke candidly about where Pakistan continues to fall behind.
“We have to raise our game under pressure. When the pressure increases, how to improve our decision-making – that is more important now. Because whenever there is pressure, our decision-making is not as good as it should be,” Agha said.
Even the captain did not shy away from taking responsibility and acknowledged that he and the coaching staff had to bear responsibility.
“We will accept full responsibility. Why not? Because we participated in the selection of the team and were responsible for the players. I will take responsibility and I am sure the coach will also take responsibility,” he added.
A FAMOUS STORY AT ICC EVENTS
The pattern of underperformance at major ICC events is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Pakistan have not made it past the group stages of the ODI World Cup since 2015. In the 2025 Champions Trophy, they were knocked out in the group stage. Their last deep run in the T20 World Cup came in 2022 where they reached the final before falling to Australia.
In a side with the talent Pakistan undeniably has, the gap between potential and performance at the biggest moments remains the biggest problem. Until decision-making improves when it matters most, it looks like the cycle will continue.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
01 March 2026 06:35 IST
