ISLAMABAD: Pakistan became the first team in men’s T20 World Cup history to deploy six spinners in a single innings during their blockbuster Group A encounter against arch-rivals India on Sunday at the R Premadasa Stadium, though the bold tactical move ended in a 61-run defeat.
Captain Salman Ali Agha’s bold strategy saw the slow-bowling unit send down 18 overs, equalling Pakistan’s own record for most overs of spin in a men’s T20 World Cup innings, as they restricted India to 175 for 7 after winning the toss and electing to field first.
Early signs dictate unconventional approach
From the moment Salman Ali Agha won the toss and asked India to bat, there was intrigue surrounding his tactics. However, the first over itself provided compelling evidence for what would unfold; the ball was not coming onto the bat with any conviction on the Premadasa surface.
Agha surprised many by taking the new ball himself, bowling the opening over. He then turned to his pace spearhead, Shaheen Shah Afridi, for the second over, but when the left-arm quick conceded 15 runs, the Pakistan captain made a decisive tactical switch.
What followed was unprecedented in men’s T20 World Cup history.
Saim Ayub was introduced as the first change, replacing Shaheen after just two overs of pace. The part-time off-spinner would go on to become the hero of the bowling innings, claiming career-best figures of 4-0-25-3.
What made Pakistan’s approach truly historic was the depth of its spin resources. After Ayub, Captain Agha turned to his specialist spinners in succession:
Abrar Ahmed, the mystery spinner, conceded 38 runs in his three overs
Shadab Khan, the experienced leg-spinner, went for 17 in his single over
Mohammad Nawaz – the left-arm orthodox, bowled four economical overs for 28 runs
Usman Tariq – the seventh bowler used, but effectively the sixth spinner, claiming 1/24 in his four overs
In total, Pakistan’s six spinners sent down 18 of the 20 overs, with only Shaheen’s two overs representing the solitary pace contribution. The spin contingent conceded 142 runs while claiming five wickets, a testament to both Pakistan’s tactical innovation and India’s aggressive counterattacking approach.
Record books rewritten
Pakistan’s six-spinner attack now stands alone at the summit of a remarkable statistical category in men’s T20 World Cup history.
Most spinners used in a Men’s T20 World Cup innings
Year Teams Spinners Overs
2026 PAK vs IND 6 18.0
2026 PAK vs USA 5 16.0
2021 BAN vs SL 5 12.5
2012 PAK vs AUS 5 18.0
2012 IND vs AUS 5 9.5
2010 BAN vs PAK 5 12.0
2009 IND vs SA 5 14.0
The achievement is particularly significant given the venue. The R Premadasa Stadium has now hosted two of the seven instances where teams have used five or more spinners in a men’s T20 World Cup innings. In the 2012 edition, both India and Pakistan had deployed five spinners against Australia at this very ground.
Pakistan also equalled their own record for most overs of spin in a men’s T20 World Cup innings, 18 overs, a mark they first set against Australia at this same venue in 2012.
Saim Ayub: The unlikely hero
Among the six spinners, Saim Ayub proved most devastating. The young all-rounder, who had earlier taken a stunning catch to dismiss Abhishek Sharma for a golden duck in the first over, returned with the ball to claim three crucial wickets.
Ayub’s victims included:
Ishan Kishan – bowled for a spectacular 77, breaking the most dangerous partnership
Tilak Varma – trapped LBW for 25
Hardik Pandya – caught by Babar Azam for a first-ball duck
His spell of 4-0-25-3 represented his first three-wicket haul in T20I cricket and proved instrumental in preventing India from reaching a total beyond 190.
Building on previous success
This was not the first time Pakistan had experimented with an all-out spin attack in the current World Cup. Earlier in the tournament, against the USA at the Sinhalese Sports Club, Pakistan had used five spinners for 16 overs, claiming 7 wickets for 115 runs.
The women’s game paved the way
While this marks a historic first in men’s T20 World Cup cricket, it is worth noting that the women’s game has witnessed similar tactical innovations. In the 2018 Women’s T20 World Cup, India deployed six spinners against both Ireland and England. More recently, in the 2024 edition, Pakistan’s women’s team also used six spinners in their match against Australia.
The men’s team has now matched that feat on cricket’s biggest stage, demonstrating the evolving nature of T20 tactics on surfaces that favour slow bowling.
