Pakistan’s Agha weighs future after poor T20 World Cup campaign 

Pakistan's captain Salman Agha reacts during the 2026 ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup Super Eights match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on February 28, 2026. (AFP)
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Updated 01 March 2026
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Pakistan’s Agha weighs future after poor T20 World Cup campaign 

  • Pakistan suffered defeats at hands of heavyeights England, arch-rivals India in the tournament
  • Pakistan’s middle order often did not click while spinners could not exploit turning conditions

Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya said he ‌will step down as head coach, while Pakistan’s Salman Agha said he will take time to decide whether to remain captain after both ​teams’ poor campaigns at the Twenty20 World Cup.

Tournament co-hosts Sri Lanka made the Super Eights but the 2014 champion lost all three matches to finish at the bottom of Group Two.

“I thought it was time to give it (the job) to someone else,” Jayasuriya said after their narrow defeat to Pakistan on Saturday.

“That’s why about two months ago I’d ‌said during ‌the England series that I don’t ​have ‌hopes ⁠of staying ​in ⁠the job for long. I’d taken this decision by then.

“I thought I’d be able to leave as coach on a good note in the World Cup. I wasn’t able to do that as well as I’d like, and I’m sad about that.”

The former captain, whose contract runs until June, said he ⁠was yet to convey his decision to Sri ‌Lanka Cricket.

“I haven’t given SLC ‌any news officially yet. They don’t ​know that I am going ‌to say this even. I will need to go and ‌discuss with them.”

It was an underwhelming tournament for Pakistan as well that included a comprehensive defeat at the hands of arch-rivals India in a group match.

Pakistan’s middle order often did not click, while ‌their slow bowlers could not make the most of the spin-friendly conditions in Sri Lanka ⁠where they ⁠played all their matches.

“We have underperformed in the whole tournament,” captain Agha told reporters.

“We are out of the semis due to our failure in decision-making in pressure situations.”

Agha said he and head coach Mike Hesson took full responsibility for their poor performance in a global multi-team event.

He was unhappy with his own form but said he was not in a hurry to take a call on whether to stay as Pakistan’s white-ball captain.

“I will go back and take ​some time to decide,” the ​32-year-old said.

“Because at this point of time stepping down would be an emotional decision.”
 


Islamabad says over 580 Afghan Taliban militants killed as Pakistan, Afghanistan fighting continues

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Islamabad says over 580 Afghan Taliban militants killed as Pakistan, Afghanistan fighting continues

  • Clashes between the two countries began on Feb. 26 when Afghan forces launched an attack on Pakistani military installations
  • Islamabad has since been pounding parts of Afghanistan where it says militant targets are present, Kabul denies the allegation

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has killed 583 Afghan Taliban fighters, wounded more than 795 and struck 64 locations inside Afghanistan in air attacks, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Sunday, as fighting between the two neighbors entered the second week.

Clashes between the two countries began on Feb. 26 when Afghan forces launched a surprise attack on Pakistani military installations along their shared border.

Afghanistan said the assault was in retaliation for Pakistan’s earlier airstrikes in February on what Islamabad described as militant camps inside Afghanistan.

“Summary of Afghan Taliban losses: 583 Killed, 795+ Injured, 242 Check posts destroyed, 38 Posts captured & destroyed, 213 tanks, armored vehicles, artillery guns destroyed,” Tarar said on X.

The statement came hours after Pakistan’s security forces successfully foiled an infiltration attempt by militants belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border in the

Chaman sector, according to a security official. The group, estimated to comprise three to four militant formations, attempted to breach the border fence under the cover of darkness.

“Troops detected the movement in time and engaged the militants as they attempted to cut through the border fence,” said the security official, seeking anonymity. “During the exchange of fire, one foreign terrorist was killed while the remaining militants fled the area.”

Pakistan accuses Kabul of sheltering militant groups such as the TTP on its soil and facilitating attacks against Pakistan. Afghanistan denies the allegations and has urged Islamabad to address its security challenges without blaming Kabul.

Afghanistan has called for dialogue to resolve the conflict. Pakistan, however, has rejected talks with Kabul, saying its operation “Ghazab Lil Haq” — meaning Wrath for Truth — will continue until its objectives are achieved.

Since the conflict began, diplomatic efforts have intensified, with several countries and international bodies, including the European Union and the United Nations, urging restraint and calling for talks.