Sahibzada Farhan rose to the occasion with a superb maiden T20 World Cup century, becoming only the second Pakistani to score a hundred in the history of the tournament and lifting Pakistan to a commanding 199 for three against Namibia in a must-win encounter on Wednesday.
Farhan reached the milestone in just 57 balls and finished unbeaten on 100 off 58 deliveries, producing an innings that blended patience, power and composure under pressure. With this knock, he joined Ahmed Shehzad as the only Pakistan batter to have registered a T20 World Cup century. Shehzad had scored his hundred against Bangladesh in the 2014 edition at Mirpur.
The innings was far from straightforward. Farhan was on 30 off 27 balls at one stage, struggling to find fluency as Pakistan made a cautious start. He also suffered cramps and required medical attention in the middle of his innings. But once he settled, he shifted gears dramatically. He needed only 20 balls to move from his half-century to three figures, turning the match decisively in Pakistan’s favour.
Farhan struck 11 boundaries and cleared the ropes four times. He first rebuilt the innings with captain Salman Agha, adding 67 runs for the second wicket. Agha contributed a brisk 38 off 23 balls and played a key role in changing the tempo after a slow start. Later, Farhan combined with Shadab Khan for an unbroken 81-run stand that ensured Pakistan finished strongly. Shadab remained unbeaten on 36 off 22 deliveries.
Pakistan’s innings began cautiously after they opted to bat first. They managed 47 runs in the powerplay and lost Saim Ayub for 14 off 12 balls. The early overs reflected a side still looking to recover from a heavy defeat to India earlier in the tournament.
In a bid to strengthen the batting, Pakistan included Khawaja Nafay in the middle order while leaving out out-of-form pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi. Despite a few boundaries, the scoring rate remained below par in the first eight overs, with Pakistan reaching 55 for one as Namibia kept things tight at the Sinhalese Sports Club.
The momentum shifted in the ninth over when Salman Agha stepped out to Willem Myburgh and sent him over long-on for six. Farhan followed with two powerful slog-swept sixes off the same bowler, both over deep mid-wicket. The three sixes in the over provided the breakthrough Pakistan needed.
Agha later fell after being caught by Gerhard Erasmus, and Nafay’s stay was brief as he was caught and bowled by the Namibian skipper. However, Farhan continued to anchor the innings, rotating strike smartly before accelerating against both pace and spin.
In the final over, Shadab added the finishing touches with two sixes, pushing Pakistan to a competitive total.
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