Salman Ali Agha Explains Century Celebration, Calls for Respect for Domestic Cricket
Salman Ali Agha explains that his century celebration was for his son and calls for greater recognition of domestic cricket after Pakistan’s tri-series opening win over Sri Lanka.
Pakistan batter Salman Ali Agha has explained his century celebration in the ODI tri-series opener against Sri Lanka, saying it was dedicated to his young son, while calling for greater recognition of domestic cricket and the players who perform in it.
Agha scored his fourth ODI century on Sunday, helping Pakistan post 305 runs before the hosts defeated Sri Lanka by 37 runs at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. He said the celebration was not intended to send a message to critics or prove anyone wrong.
“I don't have enough time to message someone or prove someone wrong. I love my cricket, I love batting and I like playing for Pakistan,” Agha said at the post-match media conference, explaining that his son watches cricket on television and celebrates in a similar manner.
The century marked a strong return to Pakistan’s side after a difficult spell in his international career. Following the England tour, Agha played for Kingsmen Academy in the President’s Trophy Grade-I, scoring an unbeaten 300 against Markhor IT Solutions in his first match. He was later replaced as Pakistan’s T20I captain by Sahibzada Farhan and omitted from the squad for the T20I series against Sri Lanka, which Pakistan won 2-1.
Agha also defended domestic cricket, saying its conditions make consistent run-scoring a demanding task. He criticised the tendency to dismiss domestic performances when players succeed at that level.
“I think we don't give enough respect to our domestic cricket. The conditions there are not that easy and scoring runs is not an easy job,” he said.
He pointed to his own decade in domestic cricket before entering the international team, alongside the experiences of Saud Shakeel and Saad Baig, as examples of players earning their opportunities through sustained performances.
Pakistan’s bowlers secured the victory after Agha’s innings, restricting Sri Lanka to 268. Shaheen Afridi took three wickets, while Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Faheem Ashraf claimed two each.
Agha urged the cricket community to recognise domestic competitions as an important pathway for developing international players.
