Salman Agha's century opens home ODI tri-series
Salman Agha scored an unbeaten 107 from 90 balls as Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 37 runs in Rawalpindi on Sunday, opening their home ODI tri-series that also involves England. The knock was his first international appearance since August and earned him Player of the Match.
The 32-year-old had recently been left out of Pakistan's T20I and Test sides and had lost the captaincy in the shortest format. He spent time in domestic cricket to regain touch before this series on home soil.
How domestic cricket shaped the return
In mid-September, Agha hit an unbeaten triple-century for Kingsmen in the President's Trophy Grade-I. He added another hundred at the same level at the end of last month, staying in the selectors' view.
After the Sri Lanka match he said domestic cricket does not get enough respect, and that conditions there are harder than many assume. "I feel that we don't give enough respect to our domestic cricket," he said. He argued that runs at that level are hard-earned, and that players who come through the system—including himself and Saud Shakeel, who also played well on Sunday—deserve recognition.
He said he returned after five domestic matches with better batting alignment and mechanics, and that this translated into his performance against Sri Lanka.
Pressure, setbacks and what comes next
Agha said he was disappointed to be dropped from the T20I side and overlooked on the Test tour of England after captaining the first match in Leeds. He used the time away to work on coping with spotlight and pressure.
"I mean, three or four Test matches didn't go well, but I had been performing consistently for four years before that," he noted. Climbing out of a rough patch at international level takes time, he said, because players face high-risk cricket against the world's best.
Pakistan face England again in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 18 October: Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 37 runs in Rawalpindi; Salman Agha scores 107 not out from 90 balls.
- 20 October: Pakistan vs England, Rawalpindi.
- 22 October: Sri Lanka vs England, Rawalpindi.
- 25 October: Pakistan vs England, Lahore.
- 27 October: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, Lahore.
- 29–31 October: Remaining league and final fixtures in Lahore, with the final on 31 October.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Salman Agha ne Sri Lanka ke khilaf 107 runs bina out hue banaye aur Pakistan jeet gaya. Woh pehle team se bahar the, lekin domestic cricket mein khel kar form wapas laye. Unka kehna hai ke gharailu cricket ko zyada izzat milni chahiye. Agli match England ke khilaf Rawalpindi mein hai.
