Sahibzada Farhan rose to the occasion with a superb maiden T20 World Cup century to become only the second Pakistani to score a hundred in the tournament’s history, lifting Pakistan to an impressive 199 for three against Namibia in a must-win encounter on Wednesday.
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Farhan reached the milestone in just 57 balls to finish unbeaten on 100 off 58 deliveries, leading to an innings that mixed patience, power and composure under pressure. With this knock, he joined Ahmed Shehzad as the only Pakistani batsman to register a T20 World Cup century. Shehzad scored his set against Bangladesh in 2014 at Mirpur.
The shift was far from simple. Farhan was on 30 off 27 balls at one stage, struggling to find fluency as Pakistan started cautiously. He also suffered convulsions mid-shift and required medical attention. But once he settled in, he dramatically shifted gears. He needed just 20 balls to get to three figures from his half-century, turning the match decisively in Pakistan’s favour.
Farhan hit 11 boundaries and cleared the ropes four times. He first rebuilt the innings with skipper Salman Agha and added 67 runs for the second wicket. Agha contributed a brisk 38 off 23 balls and played a key role in changing the momentum after a slow start. Later, Farhan combined with Shadab Khan for an unbroken 81-run stand that ensured a strong finish for Pakistan. Shadab remained unbeaten on 36 off 22 deliveries.
Pakistan’s innings got off to a cautious start after opting to bat first. They managed 47 runs in the over, losing Saim Ayub for 14 off 12 balls. The first overs reflected a side still looking to recover from a heavy defeat to India earlier in the tournament.
In a bid to bolster the batting, Pakistan have fielded Khawaja Nafay in the middle order while leaving out of form pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi. Despite a few boundaries, the scoring rate in the first eight overs remained below par, 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 up to Willem Myburgh and sent him over long on for six. Farhan followed it up with two powerful sixes from the same bowler, both over deep mid-wicket. Three sixes in the over provided the breakthrough Pakistan needed.
Agha later fell after being caught by Gerhard Erasmus and Nafaya’s stay was cut short when he was caught and bowled by the Namibian captain. However, Farhan continued to anchor the innings, turning the strike smartly before accelerating against both pace and spin.
In the final over, Shadab added the finishing touch with two sixes to take Pakistan to a competitive total.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
February 18, 2026