Salman breaks Dravid-Dhoni record

2025 is shaping up to be an exceptional year for Pakistan cricket. The team has played 54 matches in the international arena so far, which is much more than any other team this year. The team's T20 captain Salman Ali Agha has participated in all of them, creating a new history.

32-year-old Salman Agha made history when he took the field in the tri-nation T20 series match against Zimbabwe at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday (November 23). With this, he surpassed the record of 53 matches jointly held by Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Yousuf and MS Dhoni in a calendar year.

Before Salman, a total of 12 cricketers had played more than 50 international matches in a year. Of these, legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar became the first cricketer in the world to set this record in 1997. And in 2023, New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell was the last to cross the 50-match mark.

Most international matches in a calendar year -

Player Team Match Year
Salman Ali Agha Pakistan 54 2025
Rahul Dravid India 53 1999
Mohammad Yousuf Pakistan 53 2000
MS Dhoni India 53 2007
Lance Klusener South Africa 52 2000
Paul Collingwood England 52 2007
Angelo Mathews Sri Lanka 52 2014
Sachin Tendulkar India 51 1997
Michael Hussey Australia 51 2009
Kumar Sangakkara Sri Lanka 51 2012
Mohammad Hafeez Pakistan 51 2013
Daryl Mitchell New Zealand 51 2023
Sourav Ganguly India 50 1999