Hasan Nawaz Claims Pakistan’s Record for Fastest T20I Century with 44 Balls

LAHORE: Over the weekend, Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batsman, Mohammad Haris, delivered an outstanding batting performance. His efforts powered his team to a decisive 3-0 series victory over Bangladesh, sealing the triumph in the final match held at Gaddafi Stadium.

Haris played an exceptional unbeaten innings, scoring 107 runs from just 46 balls. His performance included eight fours and seven sixes, achieving a remarkable strike rate of 232.60, which led to him being named Player of the Match.

This impressive century places the wicketkeeper-batsman as the second-fastest T20I centurion for Pakistan, outperforming Babar Azam and Ahmed Shehzad.

He achieved his first-ever T20I century in 45 balls, surpassing Babar Azam’s previous record of 49 balls and Ahmed Shehzad’s 58 balls.

The record for the fastest century for Pakistan is still held by Hasan Nawaz, who achieved a century in 44 balls during a T20I series against New Zealand in March.

In the series-deciding match, Pakistan was set a challenging target of 197 runs. The innings began shakily when opener Sahibzada Farhan was quickly dismissed, scoring only one run from four balls against Mehidy Hasan Miraz.

However, Mohammad Haris and Saim Ayub quickly stabilized the innings with a strong partnership. Together, they scored 56 runs, losing only one wicket in the initial six overs, maintaining a high scoring pace.

Haris and Saim created a 92-run partnership for the second wicket, displaying aggressive and fluent stroke play to maintain Pakistan’s control over the game. This partnership ended when Tanzim Hasan caught Saim out for 45 runs from 29 balls, leaving Pakistan at 100-2 after 9.5 overs.

Despite this setback, Mohammad Haris continued to anchor the innings, reaching his half-century with the score at 115-2 after 11 overs. Hasan Nawaz added quick runs, hitting two fours before being dismissed for 26 off 13 balls by Mehidy Hasan, which brought Pakistan to 137-3 at 12.5 overs.

Remaining focused, Haris maintained his dominance over the Bangladeshi bowlers, easily hitting boundaries and sixes. He reached his century in just 45 balls, showcasing excellent batting skills throughout the innings.

Haris remained not out with 107 runs from 46 balls, including eight fours and seven sixes, while captain Agha contributed a quick 14 from 11 balls, allowing Pakistan to comfortably chase down the target in 17.1 overs.