Agha scored a century that anchored Pakistan to 305 in 49.5 overs in the tri-series opener against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi. The 32-year-old made 107 from 90 balls, hitting a six and 10 fours before he was dismissed.
Skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi then took 3-55 to hold Sri Lanka to 268 in 48.1 overs. The hosts next face England on Tuesday, also in Rawalpindi, in a series seen as preparation for next year’s 50-over World Cup in southern Africa.
Sri Lanka’s chase fades after a strong partnership
Pavan Rathnayake (79) and Janith Liyanage (60) put together a fighting 119-run fifth-wicket stand that kept the visitors in the contest. Opener Kamindu Mendis also played a fluent 44.
Rathnayake struck two sixes and six boundaries, while Liyanage hit five boundaries. Once both were out, Sri Lanka lost their last five wickets for only 15 runs. Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Faheem Ashraf each took two wickets for Pakistan.
Agha returns to form after a difficult stretch
Agha had endured a miserable three months before this innings. He was sent home ahead of the third Test in England in August, after leading the side in the first match, and he was also removed as Pakistan’s T20I captain.
Agha said such setbacks come along and that he had planned to return to domestic cricket to fix his performances. He explained that he aimed to find gaps and rotate the strike to push the total beyond 300, so the team batted aggressively at the end.
He hit two consecutive boundaries off Asitha Fernando to reach his fourth one-day international hundred, and fell to the same bowler in the 47th over. He added 97 for the fifth wicket with Hasan Nawaz (37) and 64 for the sixth with Arafat Minhas (18).
Earlier, Dilshan Madushanka had rocked Pakistan by removing openers Saim Ayub (seven) and Fakhar Zaman (16). Debutant Saad Baig made a brisk 39 from 40 balls, and he and Babar Azam (45) added 74 runs. Eshan Malinga then dismissed both in successive overs, and his career-best figures of 4-46 led the Sri Lankan bowlers, while Fernando finished with 3-59.
