I go to Abrar whenever we are in difficult situations: Pakistan captain Salman Agha

Abu Dhabi, Sep 23 (PTI) Pakistan captain Salman Agha on Tuesday said leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed is his go-to bowler in difficult situations, adding that the five-wicket win over Sri Lanka in an Asia Cup Super Fours match here was a near perfect outing for his side.

Pakistan chased a paltry target of 134 with five wickets and two overs to spare to record their first win of this round, which was set up by Shaheen Afridi (3/28) and Hussain Talat (2/18 and 32 not out).

But as Shaheen and Talat divided five wickets between them, Abrar chipped in with a measly 4-0-8-1 to help Pakistan squeeze Sri Lanka batters in the first half.

“We lost four wickets in three overs. Apart from that, it was a perfect game. We need to stop these,” Salman said during the post-match presentation ceremony.

"Abrar has been bowling well. Whenever we are in a difficult situation, I go to him. Hope he can continue like this for many more seasons for Pakistan,” he said.

Salman said Pakistan have worked hard on their fielding, while underlining the efforts made by Afridi and Mohammad Nawaz (38 not out).

“Our fielding coach has been working really hard with him. We have named him ‘Rockstar’. Our players have been doing extra on the field,” he said.

“Shaheen has been bowling really well. He is an asset for us. He is a match-winner. We play so many all-rounders as the game nowadays demands that. I have known Talat for several years, and I am really happy for him. Nawaz as a batter has so much potential. Hope both can continue,” he said.

Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka said it was a tough game for his side.

“If you lose five wickets before the 10th over, it will be hard. The surface was good. They bowled and fielded really well in the first 8-9 overs. We just scored 133. But we didn't give up and fought really hard. Hasaranga is a superstar in white ball cricket,” he said.

Talat said he wanted to back his game plan after producing an all-round show.

“It is difficult as it is hot. The conditions were not easy. I took my time. The conditions don't allow you to go full fledged even if you want to play aggressive cricket,” he said.

“I wanted to take some time and then felt the boundaries will come. There was a lot of humidity. My energy was low. At the end, we decided he (Nawaz) will go for the big shots.” “I have been working on my bowling quite a lot with the bowling coach. I had to back my plan B. If I bowl two good overs, I know my team will benefit,” he added. PTI DDV UNG