Pakistan captain Salman described his team’s Asia Cup 2025 campaign as a “rollercoaster”, acknowledging the ups and downs throughout the tournament. In a post-final press conference, he highlighted both positive takeaways and the need for improvement moving forward.
“From my point of view, it was full of ups and downs, much like a rollercoaster,” Salman said. “There are many positives to take. There is also a lot we need to work on. The good thing is we now know the areas where we must improve. We will try to correct our mistakes, get better and carry forward the positives to improve further.”
Pakistan played the tournament without two of their key batters, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. When asked whether their absence was felt, Salman disagreed.
“This same team performed well before the Asia Cup,” he said. “We were scoring 180 runs consistently, whether in America, at home or in Bangladesh. So I cannot single out any individual. This team reached the final and also won a tri-nation series. It did not feel like we missed any players. Our issue was not finishing well. Had we done that, we could have posted 170.”
In the absence of Babar and Rizwan, players like Hasan Nawaz and Hussain Talat featured in the middle order but failed to make a significant impact. Addressing their performances, Salman expressed confidence in their potential.
“This team is good and has potential. I believe it will do well in the future,” he said. “Regarding Hasan Nawaz and Hussain Talat, everyone knows their roles clearly. You have asked so many questions, I have forgotten some of them,” he added with a smile.
“The pitch was slow, and Hasan Nawaz did not perform well despite getting opportunities. But he is the future of Pakistan’s white-ball cricket. He will be important for Pakistan going forward. The same applies to Hussain Talat. He has a wide range of shots, and we had hoped those would be effective on this pitch.”
