Pakistan’s experienced opener Fakhar Zaman ended his three-year century drought with a sensational hundred against Sri Lanka in the ODI tri-series final at Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday.
The 36-year-old left-handed batter produced a remarkable turnaround in form, smashing 127 runs off just 99 deliveries, including 11 fours and six sixes, to revive Pakistan’s hopes in a challenging run chase.
Chasing a daunting target of 326, Pakistan endured a disastrous start as they lost two early wickets with just 14 runs on the board. However, Fakhar took charge of the innings and launched a counterattack to bring the hosts back into contention.
The veteran opener found an able partner in wicketkeeper-batter Saad Baig, with the duo stitching together a crucial 149-run partnership for the third wicket.
Saad contributed a valuable 74 runs, while Fakhar continued to dominate the Sri Lankan bowling attack with an aggressive display of strokeplay.
The left-hander eventually departed after scoring 127, bringing an end to an outstanding innings that marked his return to the three-figure mark after nearly three years.
Notably, Fakhar’s previous ODI century came against New Zealand during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in Bengaluru. On that occasion, the explosive opener hammered an unbeaten 126 to guide Pakistan to a memorable rain-affected victory after New Zealand had posted a mammoth total of 401.
However, the experienced batter struggled to replicate that performance in subsequent appearances, going 15 ODI innings without scoring another century.
During that period, Fakhar managed only three half-centuries, raising questions over his consistency in Pakistan’s ODI batting lineup. His struggles were particularly evident in the ongoing tri-series, where he registered scores of 16, 0, 10 and 5 in his four innings before the final.
Nevertheless, the left-hander delivered when Pakistan needed him most, producing a commanding century in the tournament decider.
The innings also saw Fakhar achieve two significant milestones in ODI cricket. With his 12th ODI century, the Pakistan opener moved further up the country’s list of leading century-makers in the 50-over format.
He now stands fourth among Pakistan batters with the most ODI hundreds, behind Babar Azam and Saeed Anwar, who share the record with 20 centuries each, and Mohammad Yousuf, who scored 15.
Furthermore, Fakhar completed 4,000 ODI runs during his innings, reaching the landmark in just 96 innings.
The achievement placed him joint 10th on the all-time list of fastest batters to reach 4,000 ODI runs, alongside West Indies great Gordon Greenidge and New Zealand star Kane Williamson.
