Salman Agha's comeback century carries Pakistan past Sri Lanka in the tri-series opener

Salman Agha's first international innings since August brought a century that carried Pakistan to a 37-run win over Sri Lanka in the opening match of their home ODI tri-series

Pakistan were bowled out for 305 in 49.5 overs at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium after Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bowl, with Agha's 107 from 90 balls the innings that held a wobbling order together.

Sri Lanka replied with 268 in 48.1 overs, falling 37 short despite a stand of 119 between Pavan Rathnayake and Janith Liyanage that briefly put the chase within reach.

Agha, who was named player of the match, had been left out of Pakistan's Test and T20I sides and had lost the T20I captaincy before this innings, and he used the aftermath to argue the case for the domestic game that brought him back.

Agha rebuilds from 118 for 4

Pakistan lost Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman cheaply, both to Dilshan Madushanka, and were 32 for 2 when Babar Azam walked in.

Babar made 45 from 57 balls and added 74 for the third wicket with Saad Baig, who marked his ODI debut with 39 from 40 balls before Eshan Malinga removed them both.

That left Pakistan 118 for 4 and Agha with the innings to rebuild. He put on 97 for the fifth wicket with Hasan Nawaz, who made 37 from 49, then 64 more with Arafat Minhas.

Agha's 107 carried 10 fours and a six before Asitha Fernando had him caught by Dasun Shanaka.

Malinga's late burst

Eshan Malinga finished with 4-46 from 9.5 overs, the best figures of the match, as Sri Lanka took the last of Pakistan's wickets cheaply enough to keep the target in reach.

Asitha Fernando took 3-59 and Madushanka 2-67. Naseem Shah fell lbw without scoring and Haris Rauf was run out for a duck, leaving Shaheen Shah Afridi stranded on 13 not out with a ball of the innings unused.

Rathnayake and Liyanage keep the chase alive

Kamindu Mendis made 44 from 50 balls, but Sri Lanka's top order was gone by the time the score reached 91 for 4, with Kusal Mendis making 18 from 34.

Pavan Rathnayake and Janith Liyanage then put on 119 for the fifth wicket, taking Sri Lanka to 210 before the stand broke.

Rathnayake made 79 from 74 balls with six fours and two sixes, and Liyanage 60 from 74. Shanaka struck 28 from 18 to keep the rate in sight.

Pakistan's quicks close it out

Once the partnership ended, Sri Lanka lost their last six wickets while adding 58. Shaheen Shah Afridi took 3-55, removing Kamindu Mendis, Sahan Arachchige and Shanaka.

Naseem Shah returned 2-43, the most economical of Pakistan's bowlers, and Haris Rauf 2-48. Faheem Ashraf took 2-49 and removed both Rathnayake and Kusal Mendis.

Sri Lanka were all out in the 49th over.

A case for domestic cricket

Agha came back to the side after a run in Pakistan's first-class competition, where he made an unbeaten triple-century for Kingsmen in the President's Trophy Grade-I in September and another hundred later the same month.

"I feel that we don't give enough respect to our domestic cricket," he said afterwards, rejecting the idea that runs there come easily. "Let me tell you, scoring runs in domestic cricket is not easy."

"Look at me: I came back after playing five domestic matches," he said. "It's time to give domestic cricket the respect it deserves."

"Form going down and then climbing back up takes time. That was the case with me too," he said, adding that he had spent the break working on his alignment at the crease.

He also pushed back at the reading of his Test record. "I mean, three or four Test matches didn't go well, but I had been performing consistently for four years before that," he said.

Pakistan play England in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, with Sri Lanka meeting England at the same ground two days later.

Scorecard: Pakistan 305 all out in 49.5 overs (Salman Agha 107, Babar Azam 45, Saad Baig 39, Eshan Malinga 4-46, Asitha Fernando 3-59) beat Sri Lanka 268 all out in 48.1 overs (Pavan Rathnayake 79, Janith Liyanage 60, Shaheen Shah Afridi 3-55) by 37 runs at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

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