Sarfaraz Ahmed: “Fakhar Zaman is [the] backbone of Pakistan’s batting. Whenever the team has needed him, Fakhar has stepped up and performed”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed believes senior batsman Fakhar Zaman “is [the] backbone of Pakistan’s batting” as he has stepped up whenever the team has needed him to.
Zaman is currently part of the T20I team and has put up a number of strong performances lately.
During Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Lahore, he only made one run in the one match he played.
He then proceeded to make 52 runs in two T20Is when Pakistan toured Bangladesh. This came at an average of 26 and a strike-rate of 123.80.
The 35-year-old was then involved in Pakistan’s tour of the West Indies and struck 48 runs in two T20Is at an average of 24 and a strike-rate of 111.62.
Zaman fared even better in the T20I tri-series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan as he amassed 155 runs, which included a top score of 77 not out, at an average of 38.75 and a strike-rate of 138.39.
“Fakhar Zaman is [the] backbone of Pakistan’s batting. Whenever the team has needed him, Fakhar has stepped up and performed,” Sarfaraz was quoted as saying by Geo Super.
Zaman is now part of Pakistan’s team for the ongoing 2025 Asia Cup, which is taking place in the UAE.
So far, the Mardan native has accumulated 105 runs in four games, which includes a top score of 50, at an average of 35 and a strike-rate of 138.15.
In the group stage of the Asia Cup, Pakistan beat Oman and the UAE, but lost to India.
Despite that defeat, it was enough to earn them a spot in the Super Four.
The men in green suffered another defeat against India in the Super Four before fighting back with a five-wicket win over Sri Lanka.
They will now face Bangladesh on September 25 in Dubai.
Pakistan squad for UAE T20I tri-series and 2025 Asia Cup: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem
[TS_Poll id=”65″]