Salman Ali Agha: “I really like Mohammad Yousuf’s batting. I still watch his batting videos. I believe he is one of the best batters Pakistan has ever had. I’ve learned a lot from watching him bat”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
T20I captain Salman Ali Agha picked Mohammad Yousuf as his favourite cricketer of all time and labeled him as “one of the best batters Pakistan has ever had”.
Yousuf is widely regarded as one of Pakistan’s most talented batsmen and was known for being a classy run-scorer.
He represented his country in 90 Tests and scored 7,530 runs, which included 24 centuries and 33 fifties, at an average of 52.29.
The 50-year-old also featured in 288 ODIs and accumulated 9,720 runs, which included 15 hundreds and 64 half-centuries, at an average of 41.71.
As for his T20I career, the Lahore native finished with 50 runs in three matches at an average of 16.66.
It should also be noted that Yousuf holds the record for the most Test runs scored in a calendar year as he amassed 1,788 runs in 11 Tests in 2006, which included nine centuries and three fifties, at an unbelievable average of 99.33.
“I really like Mohammad Yousuf’s batting. I still watch his batting videos. I believe he is one of the best batters Pakistan has ever had. I’ve learned a lot from watching him bat,” Salman told Cricket Pakistan.
“He was the one who gave me my Test and ODI debut caps, which felt like a dream come true. He is my favourite batter, and I’ve been watching his batting since childhood.”
Salman was recently involved in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and scored 201 runs in nine matches for Islamabad United at an average of 25.12 and a strike-rate of 136.73.
He also took two wickets at an average of 33.50 and an economy rate of 8.37.
After PSL 10 ended, Salman captained Pakistan in their three-match T20I series and amassed 90 runs, which included a career-best knock of 56, at an average of 45 and a strike-rate of 155.17.
Bowling-wise, he picked up one wicket at an average of 43 and an economy rate of 10.75.
Pakistan won the series 3-0.
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper) and Saim Ayub