BANGALORE: Fakhar Zaman, the left-handed opener, made headlines on Saturday with his remarkable performance in the 35th match of the ICC World Cup 2023 against New Zealand, achieving multiple records along the way.
Fakhar Zaman Achieves Numerous Records with Swift Century Against New Zealand
Following his impressive 81-run innings against Bangladesh, Fakhar continued his stellar form by delivering a sensational century during Pakistan's challenging 402-run pursuit against New Zealand.
Despite the early loss of his opening partner Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman exhibited exceptional batting skills, keeping Pakistan in the game with his powerful hitting.
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Fakhar Zaman showcased an aggressive display, striking the Blackcaps' bowlers and reaching his 11th ODI century in just 63 deliveries.
His remarkable innings propelled Pakistan to 160/1 in 21.3 overs, placing them 10 runs ahead of the par score defined by the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern (DLS) method before rain interrupted play.
At the time of the halt, Fakhar Zaman remained unbeaten on 106 off 69 deliveries, including seven boundaries and nine sixes.
Notably, his century in 63 balls marks the fastest hundred by a Pakistan batsman in a World Cup match.
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However, the record for the fastest World Cup century currently belongs to Australia's Glenn Maxwell, who achieved the feat in just 40 deliveries against the Netherlands in the ongoing tournament.
Fakhar's 63-ball century ranks joint-ninth on the list of fastest World Cup centuries, tied with India's captain Rohit Sharma, who also scored a 63-ball century against Afghanistan in the ongoing edition of the World Cup.
Furthermore, Fakhar Zaman has now hit a total of nine sixes during his outstanding performance, surpassing Imran Nazir's previous record of the most sixes hit by a Pakistan batsman in a single World Cup inning. Imran Nazir had struck eight sixes against Zimbabwe in the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.
Fakhar came close to breaking Imran Nazir's long-standing record in his last match for Pakistan, where he smashed seven sixes against Bangladesh on Tuesday.