Fakhar Zaman's Blazing Century Sets New Records against New Zealand

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Fakhar Zaman’s Blazing Century Sets New Records against New Zealand

The left-handed opener Fakhar Zaman etched his name into the record books with a blazing century against New Zealand in the 35th match of the ICC World Cup 2023.

Having already displayed his prowess with an impactful 81-run innings against Bangladesh, Fakhar Zaman upped the ante with a sensational century during Pakistan’s daunting chase of 402 runs against New Zealand. Despite the early loss of his opening partner, Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman’s clean hitting kept Pakistan firmly in the hunt.

Fakhar Zaman's Blazing Century Sets New Records against New Zealand — Fakhar Zaman’s Blazing Century Sets New Records against New Zealand

The left-handed dynamo unleashed a relentless assault on the Blackcaps’ bowlers, reaching his 11th ODI century in a mere 63 deliveries. His explosive innings propelled Pakistan to a commanding score of 160/1 in just 21.3 overs, comfortably surpassing the par score according to the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method. Unfortunately, rain halted play at this juncture.

When the rain delay occurred, Fakhar Zaman remained unbeaten on 106 runs, facing just 69 balls, adorned with seven boundaries and an astonishing nine towering sixes. Notably, his century in 63 balls stands as the fastest World Cup century by a Pakistani batsman in the history of the tournament.

It’s important to mention that the record for the fastest century in World Cup history belongs to Australia’s Glenn Maxwell, who achieved the milestone in a remarkable 40 deliveries against the Netherlands in the current World Cup.

Fakhar Zaman’s feat places his 63-ball century in joint-ninth place on the list of the fastest World Cup centuries, alongside India’s captain Rohit Sharma, who also notched a 63-ball century against Afghanistan in the ongoing edition of the tournament.

Furthermore, Fakhar Zaman’s remarkable knock featured a total of nine sixes, surpassing Imran Nazir’s record for the most sixes hit by a Pakistani batsman in a World Cup innings. Imran Nazir had previously smashed eight sixes in the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies. Fakhar Zaman came tantalizingly close to breaking this long-standing record in his last appearance for Pakistan, recording seven sixes against Bangladesh just a few days ago.

Cricket enthusiasts worldwide are undoubtedly awestruck by Fakhar Zaman’s incredible performance, and his record-breaking century against New Zealand has further solidified his status as a cricketing sensation to watch in the ICC World Cup 2023.