Salman Agha in action.© AFP
Pakistan batter Salman Agha scored a fine century as his side beat Sri Lanka by 37 runs in the opening game of the ODI Tri-Series, also involving England. After being invited to bat first, Pakistan posted 305 all out and then bowled out their opponents for 268. Pakistan were reduced to 106/3 when Agha came out to bat at the No. 5 position. He scored 107 off 90 balls with the help of 10 fours and one six. The knock helped Agha become the Pakistan batter with the most ODI centuries while batting at No. 5 or below.
Agha has four ODI hundreds to his name while batting at No. 5 or lower. He holds the top spot for the unique record, with Mohammad Yousuf slipping to second place with three such hundreds.
Agha credited domestic cricket for helping him rediscover his batting rhythm after a difficult spell at the international level, with the 32-year-old making an emphatic return to ODI action.
Agha had not represented Pakistan internationally since August.
His performance came after a challenging period in which he lost his place in Pakistan’s T20I and Test sides, as well as the captaincy in the shortest format.
Rather than allowing the setbacks to derail his campaign, the right-hander returned to Pakistan’s domestic circuit, where a substantial run-scoring spree helped him rebuild his confidence and correct technical flaws.
Speaking after his innings against Sri Lanka, Agha called for greater recognition of domestic cricket, arguing that performances outside the international arena should not be dismissed when established players return to the circuit to regain form.
“I feel that we don’t give enough respect to our domestic cricket,” Agha said.
The Pakistan batter had given selectors plenty to consider during his time away from the national team. Representing Kingsmen in the President’s Trophy Grade-I competition, he struck an unbeaten triple-century in mid-September before registering another hundred towards the end of the following month. Those performances came across five domestic matches and proved instrumental in preparing him for his international comeback.
(With IANS Inputs)
Featured Video Of The Day
CWG 2026 Weightlifting Gold Medallist, Mirabai Chanu Get Hero’s Welcome in Delhi
Topics mentioned in this article
