‘Scoring runs is not easy’: Agha credits domestic cricket for international turnaround

Rawalpindi: Pakistan batter Salman Agha has credited domestic cricket for helping him rediscover his batting rhythm after a difficult spell at the international level, with the 32-year-old making an emphatic return to ODI action through a match-winning century against Sri Lanka on Sunday, during the opening fixture of the tri-series also featuring England.

Agha, who had not represented Pakistan internationally since August, struck an unbeaten 107 off 90 deliveries to steer the hosts to victory. His performance came after a challenging period in which he lost his place in Pakistan’s T20I and Test sides, as well as the captaincy in the shortest format. Rather than allowing the setbacks to derail his campaign, the right-hander returned to Pakistan’s domestic circuit, where a substantial run-scoring spree helped him rebuild his confidence and correct technical flaws.

Speaking after his innings against Sri Lanka, Agha called for greater recognition of domestic cricket, arguing that performances outside the international arena should not be dismissed when established players return to the circuit to regain form.

“I feel that we don’t give enough respect to our domestic cricket,” Agha said after his innings of 107 from just 90 deliveries against Sri Lanka.

The Pakistan batter had given selectors plenty to consider during his time away from the national team. Representing Kingsmen in the President’s Trophy Grade-I competition, he struck an unbeaten triple-century in mid-September before registering another hundred towards the end of the following month. Those performances came across five domestic matches and proved instrumental in preparing him for his international comeback.

Agha was particularly critical of the perception that runs scored in domestic competitions carry less weight than those made at the highest level, insisting that success in such environments requires considerable effort and consistency.

“People think conditions there are very easy and scoring runs is a walk in the park—which isn’t true, otherwise everyone would go and score. When a player like me scores runs there, social media, ex-cricketers, or the media often downplay it by saying, ‘Oh, he just scored runs in domestic (cricket)’.

“Let me tell you, scoring runs in domestic cricket is not easy. You have to go there, play well, and fight for your runs; otherwise, runs simply don’t come. It’s unfortunate when people talk down about domestic cricket, because players who come up through that system—like me, after 10 years of domestic cricket followed by four or four and a half years of international performance, or Saud (Shakeel), who also came through domestic cricket and played so well today—deserve recognition. Many others do too.

“It’s time we all respect domestic cricket. Instead of saying that scoring in domestic cricket is easy when an international player goes back out of form and performs there, we should appreciate it. Look at me: I came back after playing five domestic matches. My batting alignment and mechanics were out of place, but I went there, played, performed, and improved significantly. Today, by the grace of Allah, that success translated here. It’s time to give domestic cricket the respect it deserves,” he expressed.

The century also offered a response to the questions surrounding Agha’s recent international struggles. Despite having been a consistent performer for Pakistan over several years, a difficult run in Test cricket preceded his omission from the squad for the tour of England, after he had captained the side in the opening Test at Leeds. His exclusion from the T20I setup added to the uncertainty surrounding his position in the national team.

However, Agha maintained that a temporary dip in performance should be viewed in the context of a player’s broader career rather than being treated as a definitive measure of his ability. He also acknowledged the difficulty of recovering from a poor run against international opposition.

“I mean, three or four Test matches didn’t go well, but I had been performing consistently for four years before that,” Agha noted.

“So I don’t think being in or out of the limelight changes things drastically.

“But yes, when you face a rough patch in international cricket, getting out of it isn’t easy because you are playing high-risk cricket under immense pressure against the best professionals in the world.

“Form going down and then climbing back up takes time. That was the case with me too,” he concluded.

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