The year 2025 has turned out to be exceptional in Pakistan’s cricket history. The Pakistan national team has already played 54 international matches—far more than any other team in the world this year. T20 captain Salman Agha has featured in all of them, giving him the opportunity to create history.
On Sunday, as he stepped onto the field against Zimbabwe in the tri-nation series, Agha set this record. With this match, he reached 54 international games in a single calendar year—the highest ever. Before this, the record for most matches in a calendar year was 53, held by Rahul Dravid (India, 1999), Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan, 2000), and MS Dhoni (India/Asia XI, 2007). Sachin Tendulkar was the first cricketer to play more than 50 matches in a year, achieving the milestone in 1997.
In the tri-nation series match, Pakistan batted first and scored 195 for 5. The star of the innings was Babar Azam, who played a delightful knock of 74 off 52 balls. Salman Agha, coming in at No. 6, managed only 1 run. On the other hand, Fakhar Zaman created a quick storm with 27 runs off just 10 balls.
In reply, Zimbabwe were bowled out for 126. Young spinner Usman Tariq played a key role in Pakistan’s big win, taking 4 wickets for just 18 runs in only his second international match—including a hat-trick.
