Agha fixes leg alignment to rediscover scoring touch

Pakistan’s experienced batsman Salman Ali Agha said correcting his leg alignment during domestic cricket helped him rediscover his form, which culminated in a match-winning century against Sri Lanka in the opening game of the ODI tri-series.
Agha scored 107, his fourth ODI century, to help Pakistan post 305 all out before the bowlers dismissed Sri Lanka for 268 in the 49th over, securing a 37-run victory at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Shaheen Shah Afridi led the bowling attack with three wickets, while Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah and Faheem Ashraf claimed two wickets apiece to give Pakistan a winning start to the tournament, which also features England.
Agha said he had identified a technical flaw in his batting during a difficult period in international cricket and used domestic matches to address it.
“When you struggle in international cricket, you face issues with your technique. I also had an issue because my leg used to go across. I went back to domestic cricket, worked on it and corrected my leg alignment, which benefited me,” he said.
The right-hander had endured a difficult England series before returning to domestic cricket, where he struck a triple century in his first President's Trophy match. He continued to build on that performance before carrying his improved form into international cricket.
“I'm feeling good, especially when your team wins and you contribute to the victory,” Agha said.
“We have come here after playing domestic cricket, and I was performing well there. I'm very happy to have carried that form into international cricket,” he added.
Pakistan were struggling at 118-4 when Agha came to the crease, but the batsman said he quickly assessed the conditions and decided that a total of 300 was within reach.
“At one point, we were 118-4. After facing a few balls, I realised the pitch was good. I felt we needed to score 300; otherwise, we would struggle,” he said.
“I tried to take it ball by ball and get the team to 300.”
Agha's innings provided the foundation for Pakistan's total, which ultimately proved beyond Sri Lanka's reach as the hosts' bowlers maintained pressure throughout the chase.
The century also carried a personal significance for Agha, who revealed that his celebration after reaching three figures was dedicated to his four-year-old son.
“That signal was for my son, who watches television while putting his finger on his cheek. He is only four years old, but I had told my family that the next time I would score a hundred, I would celebrate like that,” he said.
Agha's return to form offers Pakistan an encouraging boost as they continue their campaign in the tri-series against Sri Lanka and England.