'Playing for Pakistan is a dream', says Salman Ali Agha

Pakistan's middle-order batter Salman Ali Agha is relishing his dream of playing for the country at the highest level.

The 28-year-old scored a brilliant 35-ball 50 to take Pakistan home in the second ODI against the Netherlands. The right-hander hit two maximums and five boundaries and stitched a 92-run partnership with Mohammad Rizwan for the fourth wicket.

"It's every cricketer's dream to represent Pakistan. When you start cricket your ultimate goal is to represent your country and I am very happy," Salman said.

"I tried to keep things simple and played with positive intent and glad it paid off. Feels very good to score a 50 in just my second game," he added.

Salman explained shared that the wicket is quite slow and offers a spongy bounce which make it difficult for a batter to hit the ball.

“The wicket is here is on a slower side and offers a spongy bounce. So, if a bowler bowls a length delivery, so it sponge bounces making it difficult to hit the ball. But, I tried to take on the challenge with a positive mindset and play my shots and thanks to Almighty it paid off,” he maintained. 

Meanwhile, he credited wicket-keeper batter Rizwan for offering the guidance to build up his astonishing knock.

"Definitely he’s our senior player and one of the best players of Pakistan across all the formats. So, he was guiding me a lot like how to play, and how to tackle some specific deliveries. So, his guidance helped me a lot," he added.

Pakistan and the Netherlands will meet in the final ODI on Sunday.