Salman Ali Agha Becoming Pakistan’s New Cornerstone

Pakistan defeated England in the second test at Multan with Noman Ali and Sajid Khan earning all the plaudits leaving another unsung hero flying under the radar again in Salman Ali Agha.

With all the hoopla surrounding Babar Azam’s absence for his poor run of form, the question quickly turned to who would answer the call in Pakistan’s batting line-up despite Salman already making his case a lot earlier. 

A debuting Kamran Ghulam with his immaculate 118 would once again take the sheen off Salman who managed to score 31 with Aamer Jamal, Mohammad Rizwan and Saim Ayub all offering better returns with the bat. However, Salman’s talent would come to the fore in the crucial third innings after all the bigwigs had returned to the pavilion. 

With tailenders for company, Salman stroked his way to 63, rescuing his side from 150/7 to 221/9. When Brydon Carse finally got him out, Pakistan’s lead had swelled to 296.

Noman Ali would take care of the rest with the ball.

Salman Ali Agha would receive no Man of the Match nominations for his role which has been the story of his career so far. But there lies his value. No player has scored 50 or more runs batting at no 6 or lower than Salman with 12 with Sri Lanka’s Dhananjaya De Silva his closest rival at 11.

No player has scored more runs at no7 or lower in this WTC Cycle than his 743 at an extraordinary average of 61.9. Despite many big names, he only trails Harry Brook in most runs scored during the ongoing Test series between Pakistan and England. 

The fact that he is handy with the ball when called upon makes him an invaluable asset to the Pakistan cricket team. 

Since making his debut in 2022 he has quietly become one of the mainstays on the international side, with the trend likely to continue during their upcoming travels to Australia.