Salman Ali Agha Archives

Mohammad Rizwan appointed as Pakistan’s white-ball captain

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday announced the appointment of wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan as the white-ball captain of the national cricket team.

Meanwhile, Salman Ali Agha has been appointed as the vice-captain of Pakistan’s white-ball team.

Naqvi made the announcement during a press conference in Lahore, accompanied by newly appointed captain and vice-captain Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha respectively. They were joined by the members of the selection committee Aqib Javed and Azhar Ali.

It’s worth noting that Rizwan replaced fellow batter Babar Azam, who stepped down as Pakistan’s white-ball captain earlier this month.

Babar’s resignation came in the wake of the national team’s disastrous campaign at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 where they suffered their first-ever group-stage exit, mainly pertaining to their shock loss against the United States of America (USA) and gut-wrenching defeat at the hands of arch-rivals India.

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Mohammad Rizwan will kick off his stint as Pakistan captain from the upcoming tour of Australia, where Pakistan will play a three-match ODI series followed by three T20Is, scheduled to run from November 4 until November 18.

Earlier today, the PCB announced squads for the upcoming white-ball series against Australia and Zimbabwe.

The 32-year-old wicket-keeper will lead the team during the Australia matches and Zimbabwe ODIs but will be rested from the Zimbabwe T20Is. In his absence, Salman Ali Agha will lead Pakistan in the T20I series against Zimbabwe.

Pakistan Squad for Australia Tour

ODI SQUAD: Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (vc) and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

T20I SQUAD: Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan

Pakistan Squad for Zimbabwe Tour

ODI SQUAD: Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Shahnawaz Dahani and Tayyab Tahir

T20I SQUAD: Salman Ali Agha (c), Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan

READ: Babar Azam, Rizwan retained in category A as PCB announces central contracts

Babar Azam, Rizwan suffer decline, Salman Ali Agha moves up in ICC Test Rankings

DUBAI: Pakistan all-rounder Salman Ali Agha enjoyed significant gains, while Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan experienced a further drop in their positions in the latest ICC Test Batting Rankings released on Wednesday.

Babar Azam dropped four places to 19th with 677 points after missing the second Test against England. He was dropped from the squad after the first Test owing to his extended poor run of form.

He managed a meagre 64 runs in four innings during the home Test series against Bangladesh last month, while in the first Test against England, he scored only 35 runs

On the other hand, Mohammad Rizwan lost two spots to 21 with 669 rating points following his below-par performance in the two Tests against England where he managed only 74 runs.

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Salman Ali Agha, who has been enjoying a purple patch lately, earned the rewards for his impressive batting performance as he jumped eight places to claim the 14th spot in the ICC Test Batting Rankings.

He has scored 261 runs in the ongoing series so far with an unbeaten century and two half-centuries with an average of 87.

Pakistan’s Test vice-captain Saud Shakeel also suffered a steep decline, falling seven places to 27th position with 642 points after scoring a meagre 146 runs in two Tests against England.

Notably, spin bowlers Sajid Khan and Noman Ali made a remarkable return to the Pakistan team in the second Test against England. They shared 20 wickets to steer the team to their first victory on home soil in the last three years.

Consequently, Sajid Khan jumped a whopping 22 places to the 50th spot, while Noman Ali was re-instated at the 17th position in the ICC Test Bowling Rankings.

READ: Michael Atherton skeptical about Rawalpindi pitch mirroring Multan conditions

Salman Ali Agha embraces challenge as Pakistan’s sole spinner against Bangladesh

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan all-rounder Salman Ali Agha expressed his readiness and excitement to take the challenge as the team’s sole spinner in the first Test against Bangladesh.

The series between Pakistan and Bangladesh is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25, with the first Test commencing at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from 21-25 August.

Pakistan selectors have opted to go with an all-pace attack in the first Test, with Salman being the only spinner in the squad.

While addressing a press conference at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday, Salman shared that he is not under pressure to play as the sole spinner.

“I have played as a sole spinner in Australia and did well there,” said Salman Ali Agha. “There is no pressure and I am ready to take the challenge.”

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Salman noted that due to the favourable conditions for fast bowlers on Rawalpindi’s pitch, the selectors decided not to include a specialist spinner in the team.

“The pitch in Rawalpindi looks green and seems to favour fast bowlers more,” he commented.

The all-rounder also shed light on the team environment and shared that the players don’t pay much attention to social media.

“The atmosphere in the team is healthy. All players back each other like brothers and friends. We have nothing to do with whatever is going on social media,” he added.

Notably, the second Test of the series, which was originally scheduled in Karachi from 30 August to 3 September, has been moved to Rawalpindi due to the ongoing construction work at the National Bank Stadium.

Pakistan squad for first Test against Bangladesh: Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel, Aamir Jamal (subject to fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Shaheen Shah Afridi.

READ: Abbas Afridi’s heroics in vain as Pakistan Shaheens falter in Top End T20 semi-final

Salman, Hasan, Haris named in Pakistan squad for Ireland, England tour

LAHORE: All-rounder Salman Ali Agha earned his maiden call-up, while fast bowlers Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali have returned to the Pakistan squad for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England.

The national selection committee members Abdul Razzaq, Bilal Afzal, Mohammad Yousuf and Wahab Riaz announced the 18-member Pakistan squad during a press conference here on Thursday.

Rauf recovered from his shoulder injury, which he suffered during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season nine against Karachi Kings in February.

He missed most part of the PSL 9 and the recently concluded T20I series against New Zealand due to the aforementioned injury.

Along with Rauf, wicketkeeper Azam Khan was also sidelined for the New Zealand T20Is due to a calf injury, while middle-order batter Muhammad Irfan Khan and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan were rested from the two T20Is in Lahore due to niggles.

The four cricketers underwent fitness assessments at the National Cricket Academy on Tuesday afternoon, showing significant improvement.

This progress has provided confidence and encouragement to the PCB Medical Panel and the team management regarding their potential availability during the seven T20Is.

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Meanwhile, Agha was called up on the back of his impressive performance in the PSL 9, where he scored 310 runs for Islamabad United at a strike rate of 140.27.

Hasan Ali, who last played a T20I match against Sri Lanka in Asia Cup 2022, was called back owing to his extensive experience, having featured in 50 T20Is and excelling in bilateral series and ICC Events. He claimed 14 wickets in 10 games during PSL 9.

Meanwhile, leg spinner Usama Mir, who was the highest wicket-taker in the PSL 9, and pace bowler Zaman Khan were dropped from the squads for the Ireland and England series.

The team is scheduled to depart for Dublin on 7 May following a three-day training camp in Lahore from 4-6 May.

The national team will play a three-match T20I series against Ireland from 10 May, followed by a four-match series against England.

Pakistan will announce the squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 after the first T20I against England, scheduled on 22 May.

Pakistan Squad for Ireland & England Tour

Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayyub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Khan

READ: Nepal announce squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2024

Salman Ali Agha aims to bring ICC World Cup 2023 to Pakistan

All-rounder Salman Ali Agha on Monday expressed his desire to return home from India with the ICC World Cup 2023 trophy.

Salman Ali Agha, who represented Pakistan in 18 ODI matches, amassing 436 runs at an average of 39.63 with the help of three half-centuries, is part of Pakistan’s 15-member squad to participate in the forthcoming ICC World Cup 2023, which will be played in India from October 5 to November 19.

While talking to the media, the 29-year-old all-rounder shared that representing Pakistan in the ICC World Cup 2023 was a dream.

“It was a dream to play the World Cup, which is about to be fulfilled,” said Salman Ali Agha. “I wish that our team returns from India with the World Cup trophy.”

He also stressed the fact that he is working hard to play his role for Pakistan both with the bat and ball.

“I am working hard and will try to play my part in batting and bowling according to the team plan,” he added.

Pakistan squad for ICC World Cup 2023

Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, M Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha.

Travelling reserves: Mohammad Haris, Abrar Ahmed, Zaman Khan

Pakistan’s warm-up matches schedule:

September 29 — vs New Zealand in Hyderabad
October 3 — vs Australia in Hyderabad

Pakistan’s schedule for the ICC World Cup 2023:

October 6 – vs Netherlands in Hyderabad
October 10 – vs Sri Lanka in Hyderabad
October 14 – vs India in Ahmedabad
October 20 – vs Australia in Bengaluru
October 23 – vs Afghanistan in Chennai
October 27 – vs South Africa in Chennai
October 31 – vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
November 4 – vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
November 11 – vs England in Kolkata

The day matches will start at 10:00 am Pakistan Standard Time (PST) while all other matches will be day-night fixtures, starting at 01:30 pm (PST).

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Salman Ali Agha upbeat to ‘give his best’ against India in Asia Cup

LAHORE: Pakistan all-rounder Salman Ali Agha has set his sights on giving his best in the highly-anticipated clash between Pakistan and India in the upcoming Asia Cup 2023, scheduled to commence on August 30.

Agha, while talking to the media here on the sidelines of the national men’s team’s ongoing training camp for the ODI series against Afghanistan and this year’s Asia Cup expressed his desire to perform well against arch-rivals India in the continental event.

“I will try to perform at my best against India in the Asia Cup,” said Agha.

Salman Ali Agha was adjudged player of the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, amassing 221 runs and picking up three wickets, including an unbeaten hundred in the last Test.

However, Agha will now turn his attention to white-ball cricket as Pakistan is scheduled to play a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan in Sri Lanka, before embarking on the Asia Cup journey, which will run from August 30 to September 17.

“I try to play according to the format, and as a player, I try to perform well in every game. ODI format is different [than Test and T20I], and I am trying to adjust myself according to that,” Agha Salman said.

“I will try to perform at my best as I did in test cricket,” he added.

Salman Ali Agha has thus represented Pakistan in 11 ODIs and accumulated 337 runs at an average of 48.14, with the help of three fifties while picking up three wickets.

His last white-ball appearance was against New Zealand in May 2023, where he scored a run-a-ball 57.

Agha then went on to praise Afghanistan’s strength, their spin bowling but expressed his confidence in his team’s world-class batting lineup.

“Afghanistan have quality spinners, but we have a world-class batting,” said Agha.

“The first target is to win the series against Afghanistan and then the Asia Cup,” he concluded.

The three-match ODI series between Pakistan and Afghanistan is scheduled to be played on August 22, 24 and 26. The first two ODI will take place in Hambantota, while the third game will be played in Colombo.

READ: England to host Zimbabwe in 2025 to play first Test after 2003

‘We’re told to follow England’s brand of cricket,’ reveals Salman Ali Agha

LAHORE: All-rounder Salman Ali Agha on Tuesday, heaped praise on England’s brand of cricket and revealed that they have been directed to follow it.

While speaking at a press conference here, Salman Ali Agha commented on the team’s preparations for the upcoming Test tour of Sri Lanka and the conditions on offer in the country.

“We will try to perform regardless of what the conditions would be in Sri Lanka,” said Agha.

The all-rounder also shared that the national men’s team’s director Mickey Arthur has shared the plan with the players before coming up with a major revelation that the team management had directed the team to follow England’s brand of cricket.

“Mickey Arthur has shared the plan with the players,” said Agha. “England is playing very good cricket, we have been asked to play the same brand of cricket.

“Brand of cricket means positive cricket and a will to play it according to match scenarios,” he explained.

Salman Ali Agha, who bats in the lower middle order often spends most of his time on the crease with tailenders.

Despite the challenge, Agha enjoys a decent batting record for Pakistan in the longer formats.

He acknowledged it as a challenge but asserted that he’s been used to it since his time in domestic cricket.

“I played with tailenders in domestic cricket too and now I have to play with them in international cricket as well,” said Agha.

“It exerts pressure but I always try to perform well,” he concluded.

Salman Ali Agha’s international career with Pakistan is on the rise, the 29-year-old all-rounder has thus far represented the green shirts in seven Tests and 11 ODIs.

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‘Top priority is to save the match,’ Salman Ali Agha on Rawalpindi Test

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan all-rounder commented on his side’s approach towards the ongoing Rawalpindi Test after England captain Ben Stokes’s brave decision of declaring the second innings set the hosts a 343-run target.

Agha, while talking at the post-match press conference following the conclusion of an eventful fourth day of the first Test as Pakistan need a further 263 runs on the final day and shared that the team’s top priority would be to save the match but also asserted that the home side’s camp is eyeing to win.

“Top priority is to save the match. We are very excited to bat and if found the opportunity I will try my best to win it for my team,” Agha shared.

“Everyone in the camp is discussing winning this match but we must give credit to England for the way they played,” he added.

In a query regarding his style of play and the instructions from the team’s management, the all-rounder shared that he has been given the liberty to play in his comfort zone.

It is pertinent to mention that the fiery England side turned the dull Rawalpindi Test into an enthralling contest as they put Pakistan to bat again on the same day and took wickets to put the home team under pressure.

Pakistan, however, are perfectly positioned to win the first Test as they require 263 runs on the final day to take a lead in the three-match series.

READ: Imam, Saud lead Pakistan chase after England brave declare

‘Rizwan guided me a lot during our partnership’ says Salman Ali Agha

ROTTERDAM: Pakistan’s young middle-order batter Salman Ali Agha revealed that wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan guided him during the match-winning partnership against the Netherlands in the second ODI.

Salman, who scored a magnificent half-century in his second ODI, credited wicket-keeper batter Rizwan for offering the guidance to build up his astonishing knock.

“Definitely he’s our senior player and one of the best players of Pakistan across all the formats. So, he was guiding me a lot like how to play, how to tackle some specific deliveries. So, his guidance helped me a lot,” Salman stated.

The right-handed batter while responding to a question regarding his plan regarding whether he will be targeting to score a century or a half-century, asserted that the team’s requirement would be the topmost priority for him.

“Thrive would be to play as I played in this match, according to the team’s demand. There is no doubt that a player has his individual milestone in his mind but the team is the top most priority,” Salman shared.

Salman then went on to comment on the conditions of the Netherlands and shared that the wicket is quite slow and offers a spongy bounce which make it difficult for a batter to hit the ball.

“The wicket is here is on a slower side and offers a spongy bounce. So, if a bowler bowls a length delivery, so it sponge bounces making it difficult to hit the ball. But, I tried to take on the challenge with a positive mindset and play my shots and thanks to Almighty it paid off,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention here that Salman scored his first fifty in ODI cricket in his second match, put on a match-winning 92-run partnership with Rizwan and propelled Pakistan to seal a resounding seven-wicket victory over the Netherlands and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

READ: Pakistan crush Netherlands in second ODI to claim series victory

Agha to debut as Pakistan unveils Playing XI for first Test against Sri Lanka

GALLE: All-rounder Salman Ali Agha is set to make his debut for Pakistan on Saturday as the Green Shirts unveiled their Playing XI for the first Test against Sri Lanka.

Following his incredible run in the last three seasons of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the all-rounder was initially named in the national team’s 18-member squad for the Test series.

The right-handed batter scored 1,629 runs at a remarkable average of 56.19 in 18 first-class matches since the 2019-2020 season. During this specific period, Agha smashed five centuries and eight half-centuries, while claiming 25 wickets with the ball.

Here's our XI for the first #SLvPAK Test tomorrow! #BackTheBoysInGreen 🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/VOgFH247N6

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) July 15, 2022

Leg spinner Yasir Shah and all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz will make their return to the Test side for the first encounter of the two-match series.

Yasir, who aided Pakistan’s 2-1 series victory over Sri Lanka with his player of the series performance, will play his first Test since August 2021 after overcoming a thumb injury.

Nawaz, on the other hand, will make his return to the Test side after nearly a six-year gap, having played his last red-ball match in November 2106.

Pakistan’s XI: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc, wk), Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Afridi and Yasir Shah

READ: Netherlands, Zimbabwe qualify for ICC T20 World Cup 2022