Pakistan T20I captain Salman Ali Agha entered rare territory on Sunday as he got past Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Yousuf and MS Dhoni to claim the record for most international appearances in a single calendar year. The milestone came during Pakistan’s fourth match of the ongoing T20I tri-series against Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi, marking Salman’s 54th international match in 2025.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!Dravid held the record since 1999 with 53 matches, while Yousuf (2000) and Dhoni (2007) later equaled the number but never surpassed it. Having overtaken three icons from India and Pakistan, Salman now stands alone at the top of a list long dominated by modern greats.
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The milestone also reflects his remarkable workload this year: five Tests, 17 ODIs and 32 T20Is, underscoring Pakistan’s stacked calendar and Salman’s status as a constant across formats. The 32-year-old also led Pakistan to the Asia Cup final in September.Salman’s record-breaking innings required little contribution with the bat – he remained unbeaten off one of two balls at No. 6 – but all he needed to do was step onto the field to rewrite history. His brief stint at the crease included an unbeaten 28 runs with Fakhar Zaman smashing 27 off just 10 deliveries.Earlier, Babar Azam top-scored with 74 off 52 balls and Sahibzada Farhan added 63 off 41 as the pair put on 103 runs for the second wicket to post Pakistan’s imposing 195/5.With the ball, enigmatic spinner Usman Tariq stole the show, taking 4 for 18, including a hat-trick, to become only the fourth Pakistani bowler to do so in T20Is.Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by 69 runs to book their place in the tri-series final.
