Salman Agha Comeback Century: Pakistan's 37-Run Win

From being sent home from England in August to lifting his bat for a record-breaking century in October — Salman Ali Agha has written one of the great Pakistan cricket comeback stories, and it took him just 90 balls.

Salman Agha raises his bat to the Rawalpindi crowd after scoring a century for Pakistan against Sri Lanka (illustrative AI image)

Pakistan were in real trouble at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on October 18. Chasing nothing but survival at 118 for 4 after Sri Lanka's new-ball bowlers tore through the top order, the tri-series opener was slipping away. Then Salman Ali Agha walked in — and everything changed.

The 32-year-old right-hander smashed 107 off just 90 balls, with 10 fours and a six, dragging Pakistan from 118 for 4 to a commanding 305 all out in 49.5 overs. Sri Lanka fought hard in reply but were bowled out for 268 in 48.1 overs, handing Pakistan a 37-run victory and a winning start to the home ODI tri-series that also includes England.

It was Agha's fourth ODI century, his first international appearance since August, and a Player of the Match performance that instantly became the story of the night — not least because it arrived just weeks after his career appeared to have hit rock bottom.

118/4 to 305: How Agha Rescued Pakistan

The innings began in chaos. Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis won the toss and chose to bowl, and Dilshan Madushanka made that decision count by removing both openers — Saim Ayub for 7 and Fakhar Zaman for 16 — inside the powerplay. Babar Azam (45 off 57) and ODI debutant Saad Baig (39 off 40) steadied the ship with a 74-run stand, but when Eshan Malinga removed both of them, Pakistan were 118 for 4 and staring at a sub-par total.

Agha read the situation perfectly. "At one point, we were 118-4. After facing a few balls, I realised the pitch was good. I felt we needed to score 300; otherwise, we would struggle," he said after the match. "I tried to take it ball by ball and get the team to 300."

He did exactly that. A 97-run fifth-wicket partnership with Hasan Nawaz (37 off 49) rebuilt the innings, and Agha reached his hundred off just 82 deliveries before accelerating. Arafat Minhas chipped in with a brisk 18 and Shaheen Shah Afridi stayed unbeaten on 13 as Pakistan were bowled out off the penultimate ball of the innings.

Sri Lanka's bowlers had their moments — Malinga finished with a career-best 4 for 46, and Asitha Fernando claimed three wickets — but 306 was always going to demand something special in the chase.

The Record: Passing Mohammad Yousuf

Agha's century carried a historic footnote. By reaching his fourth ODI hundred, he became Pakistan's leading centurion among batters who regularly bat at No. 5 or lower, surpassing the great Mohammad Yousuf — a genuine long-standing record in Pakistan's ODI history.

It is a fitting statistic for a cricketer who has made a career out of walking in when Pakistan are in trouble and walking out with the game changed. All four of his ODI centuries have come in rescue situations, and this one — under the pressure of a comeback — may be the most significant of them all.

The Celebration That Meant Everything

The most touching moment of the night came after the hundred. Agha's celebration — a finger pressed to his cheek — was no random gesture. It was a promise kept.

"That signal was for my son, who watches television while putting his finger on his cheek. He is only four years old, but I had told my family that the next time I would score a hundred, I would celebrate like that," he revealed.

Behind the smile was a man who had endured the toughest two months of his career. Stripped of the T20I captaincy, dropped from the Test side after a poor tour of England, and sent home at the end of August, Agha had watched his international career seemingly unravel. The Rawalpindi century was his answer — delivered for an audience of one small boy watching on television.

From England Humiliation to Domestic Redemption

A lone cricketer trains at dawn on a domestic ground in Pakistan — Agha rebuilt his game in the President's Trophy (illustrative AI image)

What Agha did next after being sent home is what separates good cricketers from great ones. Instead of sulking, he went back to where it all started: Pakistan's domestic first-class circuit.

Turning out for Kingsmen Academy in the President's Trophy, Agha piled up 572 runs in just five matches, including two centuries and a half-century. The standout was a monumental unbeaten 300 off 336 balls against Markhor IT Solutions in Abbottabad — an innings featuring 42 fours and six sixes that helped Kingsmen declare at 565 for 7. He later added 145 against KRL.

But it wasn't just about the runs. It was about fixing what was broken. "My batting alignment and mechanics were out of place, but I went there, played, performed, and improved significantly," Agha explained. He worked specifically on his leg alignment, rediscovering the technique that had deserted him at the international level.

He was also honest about what the experience taught him: "Scoring runs is not easy," he said, crediting domestic cricket for his revival — and pointedly adding that "we don't give enough respect to our domestic cricket." For a player discarded by the system, it was a powerful defence of the very pathway that saved him.

Shaheen's Bowlers Seal the 37-Run Win

Pakistan's bowlers celebrate a wicket under the Rawalpindi floodlights (illustrative AI image)

Chasing 306, Sri Lanka made Pakistan sweat. They slipped to 91 for 4 in the 20th over, with Kamindu Mendis making 44, but then Pavan Rathnayake (79 off 74) and Janith Liyanage (60 off 74) produced a magnificent 119-run fifth-wicket stand that briefly put the visitors ahead of the game, needing just 55 from the last seven overs.

Then the bottom fell out. Liyanage's dismissal triggered a spectacular collapse — Sri Lanka lost their last five wickets for just 15 runs and were all out for 268. Captain Shaheen Shah Afridi led the fightback with 3 for 55, while Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Faheem Ashraf took two wickets apiece. Dasun Shanaka's quick 28 was the only late resistance.

Match Scorecard

Innings	Score	Overs	Top performers
Pakistan	305 all out	49.5	Salman Agha 107 (90), Babar Azam 45 (57), Saad Baig 39 (40); Eshan Malinga 4/46, Asitha Fernando 3 wickets
Sri Lanka	268 all out	48.1	Pavan Rathnayake 79 (74), Janith Liyanage 60 (74); Shaheen Afridi 3/55

Result: Pakistan won by 37 runs
Player of the Match: Salman Ali Agha (107 off 90)
Venue: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, October 18, 2026

What This Means for Pakistan

The win gives Pakistan two points and early momentum in the tri-series ahead of the clash with England in Rawalpindi. But the bigger story is what Agha's return does for the team's middle order and its morale.

A player written off two months ago has forced his way back through sheer weight of runs — first in domestic cricket, now on the biggest stage. His message about respecting domestic cricket will resonate far beyond Rawalpindi, and his record-breaking century sets a new benchmark for Pakistan's middle-order batters.

For Pakistani fans, this was more than a 37-run win. It was proof that form is temporary, class is permanent — and that the road back to the top sometimes runs through Abbottabad, not Lord's.

Sources: ESPNcricinfo, Sky Sports, Sportradar, CricStatsInt, The Express Tribune, My Sports Hub. Images are AI-generated illustrations created for this article.