RAWALPINDI: Pakistan captain Sahibzada Farhan has etched his name in the record books, becoming the highest run-scorer in a three-match bilateral T20 International series between full Member nations.
Farhan achieved the feat during the third and final T20I against Sri Lanka at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, where he surpassed Indian opener Abhishek Sharma’s record of 229 runs. The 29-year-old right-hander finished the series with 238 runs at an average of 79.33 and a strike rate of 165.27, including three consecutive half-centuries, and was adjudged Player of the Series.
Appointed as Pakistan’s full-time T20I captain ahead of this series, Farhan made a statement with the bat from the very first game. He started with a match-winning 89 off 53 balls, studded with 10 fours and four sixes, to help Pakistan chase down Sri Lanka’s 183-run target.
He followed it up with a fluent 73 off 44 balls in the second match as Pakistan posted a mammoth 215/3 and secured the series with an 82-run victory.In the final T20I, Farhan scored 76 off 47 balls, becoming the first Pakistani captain to score three fifties in a row in T20Is. Although Pakistan posted 168/8, Sri Lanka rode on Kusal Mendis’s unbeaten 87 off 48 balls to win by eight wickets and avoid a whitewash.
Despite the loss, Pakistan clinched the series 2-1. Talking to media after the match, Farhan said consistency will be key going forward. “The new T20 team has proved that its strike rate is the best. We will continue to adopt this aggressive approach in the future,” he said.
With this record, Farhan now leads an elite list that includes Abhishek Sharma (229), Colin Munro (223) and David Warner (217).
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