Is Salman Agha Pakistan's best-ever middle-order batter in ODIs?
What's the story
Pakistan's Salman Agha scored a brilliant century in his 50th One Day International (ODI) match. He scored 106 runs off just 98 balls, but his effort wasn't enough to save Pakistan from an 11-run defeat against Bangladesh. The match was held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Sunday. Though Pakistan lost the affair, Agha's knock boosted his ODI numbers even further. Here we look at his stats while batting at five or lower in the format.
DYK
Best average for Pakistan in these positions
Agha's ton against Bangladesh came while operating at number six. This knock powered the batter's ODI tally to 1,538 runs from 42 innings at an average of 45.23, as per ESPNcricinfo. 41 of the batter's innings have come while operating at five or lower. He boasts 1,514 runs in this regard at 45.87. This is the best average for a Pakistan batter with at least 1,000 runs at these positions.
Information
Agha is above Misbah on this list
Only two other Pakistan batters have tallied 1,000-plus ODI runs at five or lower while averaging at least 40. Misbah-ul-Haq (42.3) and Basit Ali (40.03) trail Agha on this list, as the legendary Inzamam-ul-Haq holds the fourth place with an average of 38.24.
Strike rate
Agha only behind Afridi on this list
Besides being consistent, Agha has also operated with a fine strike rate. His strike rate of 97.23 is the second-best for a Pakistan batter with 1,000-plus runs at five or lower. Agha is only behind the dashing Shahid Afridi, who struck at a breathtaking 132.52 at these positions. Meanwhile, each of Agha's 12 50-plus scores in ODIs, including three tons, has come at these spots.