Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha has confirmed a significant change to the team’s batting order ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, announcing he will permanently move to the crucial No. 3 position, a decision that will likely see former skipper Babar Azam adapt to a new role lower down the order, according to a statement today.

Ali Agha, who has typically batted further down the order in his T20I career, has recently promoted himself to first drop to provide a more aggressive option for his side early in the innings.

The captain declared his intention to remain in the position for the rest of the current series against Australia and the upcoming global tournament, citing a belief that his style is well-suited to attack opposition spinners. “Yes, I”ll be batting at No.3 (in the future),” Ali Agha stated. “We expect to face a lot of spin, and I believe I can dominate spin during the Powerplay. That”s why I moved up, and that is where I”ll stay.”

His decision follows a successful outing at the new position during the opening T20I against Australia in Lahore on Thursday, where the powerful right-hander contributed a quickfire innings of 39. His contribution was instrumental in Pakistan recording an impressive 22-run triumph just days before the tournament begins.

The strategic shift means Babar Azam, the team”s former leader, will most likely face a new responsibility, having managed 24 runs from 20 deliveries after coming in at No. 4 against the touring Australian side.

Opener and Player of the Match Saim Ayub did the majority of the damage for the hosts, scoring 40 as his side compiled 168/8 from 20 overs after electing to bat first at Gaddafi Stadium. In reply, the Australian run chase faltered, losing six wickets to spin bowling.

“It was a great game,” Ali Agha commented on the performance. “We started well with the bat but couldn”t finish the way we wanted. It became challenging after the first 10 overs as the ball stopped coming onto the bat, but I think we were outstanding with the ball.”

The skipper added that he felt a total of around 170 was sufficient on the surface. “Given how we were placed after 10 overs, we probably could have scored 15 more, but I knew 170 would be plenty on this pitch because our spin bowling is outstanding.”

Meanwhile, Australia”s stand-in captain Travis Head was not overly concerned by the loss, though he acknowledged his team has improvements to make before the T20 World Cup commences on February 7.

“There are definitely positives, but also things to work on,” Head said. “We have two more opportunities before we head to Sri Lanka for the (T20) World Cup, and we want to continue playing as well as we can.”