Sahibzada Farhan: “They have scored a lot of runs in the recent past”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan has praised his opening partner Saim Ayub and batsman Babar Azam, saying they have “scored a lot of runs” as of late.
Ayub endured an inconsistent start to his career but has gradually found form with several eye-catching knocks, while also emerging as a handy spin bowler who has picked up key wickets.
On top of that, he is also becoming an extremely handy bowler as he has been picking up plenty of wickets with his spin bowling.
As for Azam, the 31-year-old endured a prolonged lean patch that even saw him dropped from the T20I side, but he is now showing signs of returning to his best – much to the relief of teammates and fans alike.
“They have scored a lot of runs in the recent past,” Farhan was quoted as saying by journalist Farid Khan on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Farhan, Ayub and Azam are all playing in the 2026 T20 World Cup right now, with Farhan having scored 120 runs in three matches, which includes a top score of 73, at an average of 40 and a strike-rate of 157.89.
Azam, meanwhile, has made 66 runs at an average of 22 and a strike-rate of 115.78.
In regard to Ayub, the 23-year-old has amassed 49 runs in three matches at an average of 16.33 and a strike-rate of 153.12.
He has also taken five wickets at an average of 8.60 and an economy rate of 7.16.
Pakistan kicked things off with back-to-back wins over the Netherlands and United States of America before losing to India.
They will look to rebound when they go up against Namibia on February 18 in Colombo.
Pakistan Squad for 2026 T20 World Cup: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq