Karachi
\nPakistan skipper Sahibzada Farhan said that his side is aiming for Asian Games gold in Japan and will focus on taking one match at a time while giving every game equal importance.
\nSpeaking to the media ahead of Pakistan\u2019s opening match, Farhan acknowledged that the conditions and weather in Japan would be different from those the players are accustomed to in Pakistan, but said the team had prepared accordingly.
\n\u201cThe conditions in Japan are different. We practised in Pakistan keeping the conditions here in mind. The conditions and weather are not in our hands, but as players, we have to be ready for every situation,\u201d Farhan said.
\nFarhan, who was recently appointed Pakistan\u2019s captain for the Asian Games, said it was too early to determine whether the responsibility would prove difficult or easy.
\n\u201cCaptaincy is an honour for me and my family. I have just been given the captaincy, so I cannot say yet whether it is difficult or easy. We will know that after the tournament,\u201d he said.
\nThe right-handed batter added that there was no additional pressure on him regardless of whether he played as captain or as a regular member of the side.
\n\u201cThere is no pressure. Whether I play as captain or as a player, I will play in the same way and follow my natural game,\u201d he said.
\nFarhan said he had urged his teammates to put the team\u2019s interests first and remain prepared to adapt to the conditions they encounter in Japan.
\n\u201cI have told all the boys to play for the team. Everyone is ready for the Asian Games, and whatever the conditions in Japan are, we have to be prepared as players,\u201d he added.
\nThe Pakistan captain also highlighted the form of all-rounder Haider Ali, saying he was looking in good touch ahead of the competition.
\n\u201cHaider Ali is looking in very good form. The players who have been selected for the team have all performed and earned their place,\u201d Farhan said.
\nAlthough Pakistan\u2019s squad features some new faces, Farhan believes the players have sufficient international experience to handle the tournament.
\n\u201cThere are some new players in the team, but they have international cricket experience. Everyone is experienced and ready for the challenge,\u201d he said.
\nFarhan stressed that Pakistan would not single out any particular fixture, including a potential clash with arch-rivals India, and would instead focus on winning every match.
\n\u201cOur entire focus is not just on the match against India. Every single match of the tournament is important for us, and our effort will be to win every game,\u201d he said.
\nAsked about facing India, Farhan said Pakistan would be ready for the contest but ruled out making predictions before taking the field.
\n\u201cWe are ready for the match against India, but our focus is not on just one match. We cannot make claims beforehand about whom we will beat or whom we cannot beat,\u201d he said.
\nFarhan acknowledged that defeating a top side would be necessary if Pakistan are to achieve their goal of winning the gold medal.
\n\u201cIf we want to win the gold medal, we will have to beat the top teams,\u201d he said.
\nThe captain revealed that Pakistan\u2019s Asian Games squad had been assembled around two months ago, giving the players sufficient time to prepare for the tournament.
\n\u201cOur team was formed two months ago for the Asian Games, and all the players are ready. Our focus is to win the gold medal for Pakistan,\u201d he said.
\nThe Pakistan captain added that the team was determined to produce positive results for the people of Pakistan and remain focused on executing its plans throughout the tournament.
\n\u201cWe want to give good results to the people of Pakistan. All the matches are important for us, and our effort will be to win every match,\u201d Farhan said.
\nFarhan also said he would gladly accept the responsibility if offered the permanent T20I captaincy in the future.
\n\u201cIf I am given the opportunity to become the permanent captain, I will definitely accept it,\u201d he said.
\nFarhan\u2019s remarks come as the Pakistan Cricket Board weighs a long-term change in its T20I leadership structure, with the board considering him for the permanent captaincy, according to sources.
\nThe PCB, in consultation with head coach Mike Hesson, is looking towards the 2028 T20 World Cup and plans to assess Farhan\u2019s leadership during the Asian Games before deciding on a permanent appointment, the sources added.
\nPakistan squad for Asian Games 2026
\nSahibzada Farhan (c), Abdul Samad (vc), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Saad Masood, Saim Ayub, Sufyan Moqim and Usman Khan (wk).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Karachi Pakistan skipper Sahibzada Farhan said that his side is aiming for Asian Games gold in Japan and will focus on taking one match at a time while giving every game equal importance. Speaking to the media ahead of Pakistan\u2019s opening match, Farhan acknowledged that the conditions and weather in Japan would be different from …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":103446,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103430"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103430\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103452,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103430\/revisions\/103452"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103446"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}