Salman Ali Agha

Salman Ali Agha is a Pakistani international cricketer who represents the national team in multiple formats. He serves as the captain of the Twenty20 international side and holds the position of vice-captain for the One Day international team. As a right-handed middle-order batter, he also contributes to the bowling attack with right-handed off break spin.

Early life and education

Salman Ali Agha was born on 23 November 1993 in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. He grew up within a Punjabi Muslim family. He is fluent in both Urdu and Punjabi.

Career

Agha began his professional journey in domestic cricket after playing for the Apollo Cricket Club in Lahore for many years. He made his first-class debut in February 2013. In April 2018, he joined the Federal Areas squad for the Pakistan Cup. He later participated in the inaugural Global T20 Canada tournament in June 2018, where he played for the Edmonton Royals. During that tournament, he was the leading run-scorer for his team by accumulating 218 runs across six matches.

His domestic involvement continued when he joined the Southern Punjab squad for the 2019–20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in September 2019. He also represented the Pakistan Shaheens during their tour of Sri Lanka in October 2021. In the Pakistan Super League, he plays for Karachi Kings.

Agha entered the international arena through various squad selections starting in early 2021. He was named in the Test squad for series against South Africa in January 2021 and Zimbabwe in March 2021. By June 2021, he joined the One Day International squad for a series against England. He made his Test debut in June 2022 during a two-match series in Sri Lanka. In that series, he scored 62 runs off 126 balls in the second match.

His ODI debut occurred in August 2022 during a tour of the Netherlands. He achieved his maiden Test century in December 2022 against New Zealand in Karachi. During the May 2023 New Zealand tour of Pakistan, he scored 58 runs off 43 balls in the 4th ODI to help secure the No. 1 ODI ranking for his country. In July 2023, he played a vital role in the Test series against Sri Lanka by scoring 221 runs and taking 3 wickets. His performance included an unbeaten 132* off 154 deliveries in the second Test.

Agha remained active in high-level cricket through late 2024 and into 2026. He was selected for the Australian Test tour in November 2023 and a home series against Bangladesh in August 2024. During the second Test against England in October 2024, he scored 65 runs off 73 balls to assist the ninth wicket partnership with Sajid Khan. In December 2024, he earned Player-of-the-Match honors against South Africa by taking 4 wickets and scoring an unbeaten 82.

In February 2025, he scored his first ODI century with a score of 134 off 103 balls during a tri-nation series against South Africa and New Zealand. He led Pakistan to a 2-1 T20 series victory against the West Indies in August 2025. Later, in November 2025, he scored 105* off 87 balls to help defeat Sri Lanka in Karachi. He concluded this period by being named Player of the Series for the 2025-26 Australian tour of Pakistan in February 2026.

Awards and recognition

Agha has received several individual honors throughout his career. He was judged Player of the Series during the Pakistani tour of Sri Lanka in July 2023. In December 2024, he earned the Player-of-the-Match award for his all-round performance against South Africa. He was also named Player of the Series during the February 2025 tri-nation series.

Additional accolades include a Player of the Match award in November 2025 for his century against Sri Lanka. Finally, he was declared Player of the Series for the T20I series against Australia in February 2026 after scoring 120 runs. Danyal Rasool of ESPNcricinfo referred to him as "Pakistan’s get-out-of-jail-free card" due to his ability to rescue innings.