In the third Twenty20 International, Pakistan’s opening batsman hammered his first T20I century off 44 deliveries against New Zealand.
As Pakistan chased down New Zealand’s 204 in just 16 overs, opening batsman Hasan Nawaz, playing in just his third Twenty20 International, stole the show with a scorching, undefeated 45-ball 105.
After recording two consecutive ducks in his first two Twenty20 Internationals, the 22-year-old recovered well to leave his mark on Pakistan’s record books.
The record-breaking century, which came off 44 balls, was the sixth hundred for the Men in Green overall and the fastest by a Pakistani batsman in history. Former captain Babar Azam, who scored a century off of 49 balls against South Africa in 2021, was surpassed by Nawaz.
Mohammad Haris (41) was the only wicket Pakistan lost in the run-chase thanks to Nawaz’s brilliant performance, which featured 10 fours and seven sixes at the top of the order. The batter reached his half-century off just 26 balls, joining Haris to help Pakistan get off to a quick start by putting together a 74-run partnership in just 5.5 overs. Nawaz didn’t slow down from there, racing to his century off just the next 18 deliveries.
Additionally, the batter beat Babar’s 2023 Lahore mark of 101* by smashing Pakistan’s highest-ever individual score against New Zealand in Men’s T20Is.
The 22-year-old and captain Salman Ali Agha combined to seal the victory, keeping Pakistan’s series alive at 2-1.
Prior to the host team being bowled out for 204 off the penultimate ball of their innings, Mark Chapman was in outstanding form for New Zealand, smashing a thunderous 94. Shaheen Afridi, Abbas Afridi, and Abrar Ahmed each claimed two wickets, while Haris Rauf claimed three.
