ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;Pakistan rode on a fighting century from Salman Agha and four wickets from Haris Rauf to beat Sri Lanka by six runs in the opening one-day international in Rawalpindi on Tuesday. Agha scored an unbeaten 105 off 87 balls, which guided Pakistan to an imposing 299-5 before Rauf grabbed 4-61 to keep Sri Lanka to 293-9 in 50 overs, giving the home team a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. For Sri Lanka, debutant Kamil Mishara, who scored 38, and Pathum Nissanka, who made 29, set the platform with a solid 85-run opening stand before Rauf dismissed both the openers and Kusal Mendis (nought) in the space of just five runs. Sadeera Samarawickrama (39) and skipper Charith Asalanka (32) fought their team back with a fourth wicket stand of 57 but Rauf broke the stand with Babar Azam taking a splendid slip catch to send Samarawickrama back. Sri Lanka were down and out at 210-7, but Wanindu Hasaranga fought a lone battle with a fiery 52-ball 59 to bring the equation to 23 in the last two overs, before holing out with eight balls and 21 needed. Hasaranga hit seven boundaries while Janith Liyanage hit two sixes and as many boundaries in his 28. Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi said his team put up a good total. &quot;Agha and (Hussain) Talat batted very well to take us to 299,&quot; said Shaheen. &quot;A target of 300 was good, and then Haris gave us crucial wickets.&quot; Asalanka admitted that bowlers conceded extra runs. &quot;The way Agha and Talat batted, it took the game away,&quot; said Asalanka. &quot;We gave away too many runs, it should have been under 270.&quot; Earlier, Agha hit his second ODI century while Talat made 62, lifting the home team from a precarious 95-4 after they were sent in to bat. Sri Lanka spinner Hasaranga had jolted the home team with figures of 3-54, before Agha and Talat added 138 for the fifth wicket to revive the innings. Talat was finally dismissed in the 44th over, having hit a six and six fours in his maiden ODI fifty. Agha struck nine boundaries, helping Pakistan add 104 in the last 10 overs alongside Mohammad Nawaz who scored a brisk 23-ball 36 not out. It was pacer Asitha Fernando who provided the tourists a breakthrough in the fifth over when he trapped opener Saim Ayub leg-before for six. Fakhar Zaman (32) and Babar Azam (29) added 54 runs for the second wicket as Pakistan crawled to 28 in the first 10 overs and finally reached 50 in the 16th. Hasaranga then produced a 16-ball spell of destruction, removing Zaman, Azam, and Mohammad Rizwan (five).

Cricket

Agha scores unbeaten 105 off 87 balls, guides Pakistan to imposing 299-5; Rauf grabs 4-61 to keep Sri Lanka to 293-9 in 50 overs, giving the home team a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.



Pakistan upstage Sri Lanka in first ODI as Agha and Rauf shine

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: India and Pakistan will face off in the 14th match of the Men&rsquo;s T20 Asia Cup 2025 Super Four stage on Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.&nbsp;&nbsp;The match will start at 7:30 p.m. local time.&nbsp;Recent resultsIndia is leading Group A after winning all three group matches, earning six points with a net run rate of 3.547, including defeating the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, and Pakistan.&nbsp; Meanwhile, Pakistan holds second place with four points, winning two of three games; their only loss was to India. Pakistan won against the UAE and Oman.&nbsp;Possible squadIndia&rsquo;s squad is captained by Suryakumar Yadav, with vice-captain Shubman Gill. Batters include Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, and Rinku Singh while bowlers include Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, and Kuldeep Yadav.&nbsp; Axar Patel is part of the squad but may miss the game due to a recent head injury. The Pakistani side will be captained by Salman Agha, supported by batters Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan. The bowling line-up features Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, and Hasan Nawaz.&nbsp;VenueUmpires Asif Yaqoob and Rohan Pandit will officiate, with Virender Sharma as TV umpire. Andy Pycroft will serve as match referee.&nbsp;The game will be played under floodlights in a 20-over format, with an interval between innings.&nbsp;Political context and rivalry Historically, India-Pakistan cricket matches carry political and emotional significance beyond the sport. The rivalry has been marked by tension in recent years, with incidents such as India&rsquo;s players not shaking hands with Pakistan&rsquo;s team after their group match this tournament.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spoke about breaches in conduct and governance by the Indian side. However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) found no protocol violations in the disputed incidents.&nbsp;Group A points table<table id="isPasted"><thead><tr><td style="width: 30.5383%;">Team</td><td style="width: 22.2561%;">Matches Played</td><td style="width: 8.6877%;">Wins</td><td style="width: 10.428%;">Losses</td><td style="width: 9.6581%;">Points</td><td style="width: 18.3812%;">Net Run Rate</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td style="width: 30.5383%;">India</td><td style="width: 22.2561%;">3</td><td style="width: 8.6877%;">3</td><td style="width: 10.428%;">0</td><td style="width: 9.6581%;">6</td><td style="width: 18.3812%;">3.547</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 30.5383%;">Pakistan</td><td style="width: 22.2561%;">3</td><td style="width: 8.6877%;">2</td><td style="width: 10.428%;">1</td><td style="width: 9.6581%;">4</td><td style="width: 18.3812%;">1.790</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 30.5383%;">United Arab Emirates</td><td style="width: 22.2561%;">3</td><td style="width: 8.6877%;">1</td><td style="width: 10.428%;">2</td><td style="width: 9.6581%;">2</td><td style="width: 18.3812%;">-1.984</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 30.5383%;">Oman</td><td style="width: 22.2561%;">3</td><td style="width: 8.6877%;">0</td><td style="width: 10.428%;">3</td><td style="width: 9.6581%;">0</td><td style="width: 18.3812%;">-2.600</td></tr></tbody></table>&nbsp;The Asia Cup final is scheduled for September 28.

The Asia Cup final is scheduled for September 28.

India-Pakistan Asia Cup showdown: Politics fuels drama 

Maham Khan

Pakistan comes into this match after winning the recent tri-series in the U.A.E, while Oman is making its Asia Cup debut this year.

Articles tagged with "Salman Ali Agha"

Pakistan upstage Sri Lanka in first ODI as Agha and Rauf shine

India-Pakistan Asia Cup showdown: Politics fuels drama

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