TimesofIndia.com in Colombo: Sahibzada Farhan has rarely been out of the news. From making a documentary after hitting Jasprit Bumrah for three sixes during the Asia Cup, to picking Ahmad Shehzad over legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara, or his gunshot celebration after scoring a fifty against India, Farhan has never shied away from expressing himself.Having gone unsold in the Pakistan Super League, he finished as the leading run scorer in domestic cricket. He’s also challenged Pakistan cricket management over the lack of opportunities at the top of the order. On Wednesday, the 29-year-old completed a remarkable full circle at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo, becoming only the second Pakistani batter to score a century in T20 World Cup history, after his idol Ahmad Shehzad.
Ahmad Shehzad was among the first to applaud Farhan’s outstanding knock. He wrote on X: “A historic century in the T20 World Cup and now the second Pakistani ever to achieve this milestone. I always believed in you and you proved your class to the world. Congratulations, champion. So happy for your achievement.”
Farhan produced a memorable hundred to steer Pakistan to a commanding 199 for 3 against Namibia. It was an uphill chase for Namibia, and the fall of wickets at regular intervals also didn’t help their case, as they skittled for 97 runs. Pakistan defeated Namibia by 102 runs and with this convincing win the Salman Ali Agha-led team cemented their place in the Super Eight.
Scratchy start
Opting to bat first, Pakistan made two changes from their heavy defeat against India, leaving out Shaheen Shah Afridi and Abrar Ahmed. Khawaja Nafay and Salman Mirza were brought in, with Afridi’s omission following a poor outing against India.The start was cautious. JJ Smit delivered an excellent opening over, keeping Saim Ayub on the back foot with movement into the batter before finishing with an outswinger. Just three runs came from it. Farhan opened his account with a boundary off Gerhard Erasmus, courtesy of a misfield at cover, but Namibia kept things tight early.Ayub showed flashes of intent against Ruben Trumpelmann with a swivel off his pads, though he rode his luck as a thick outside edge flew past a diving Zane Green. That over yielded 12 runs and allowed Pakistan some breathing space.Jack Brassell’s introduction unsettled Farhan initially with his back of a length bowling, but the opener finally broke free when a delivery flew over the keeper for four, his first authoritative stroke after 24 balls. Confidence followed quickly as Farhan struck back to back boundaries off Trumpelmann.Ayub’s stay ended in the fifth over. A harmless wide delivery tempted him into a loose poke and he edged behind for 14. Captain Salman Ali Agha then joined Farhan and immediately injected momentum with a crisp cut past the point.Pakistan reached 47 for 1 at the end of the powerplay, but the middle overs brought pressure. Spinners Willem Myburgh and Bernard Scholtz bowled with discipline, conceding little and choking strike rotation.
Finding his groove
The release came when Salman danced down the track to loft Myburgh straight for the first six of the match. Farhan followed three balls later, clearing mid wicket twice as Myburgh’s second over went for 22. Farhan was visibly struggling with cramps but refused to slow down.At the halfway stage, Pakistan were 85 for 1. Salman continued to attack, swiping Smit over fine leg and lifting Scholtz for another six. Farhan reached his fifty off 37 balls, scratchy but effective, built on perseverance rather than fluency.The 67-run stand ended when Brassell induced a mistimed loft from Salman, who departed for a brisk 38. Salman had also played a key role in helping Farhan refine his technique against short-pitched bowling.“Salman gave me valuable tips that helped improve my balance and on-side play. Now I’m scoring more freely in that area,” Farhan had told Geo Super during PSL 2025.Khawaja Nafay was sent ahead of Babar Azam and struck a boundary first ball, but his stay was brief as Erasmus removed him with a well-judged catch.Shadab Khan walked in next, and Pakistan’s intent was clear. Farhan, now in full flow despite severe cramps, accessed his fourth gear. He hammered Smit over long off, forcing a ball change, and greeted the new ball with another boundary. Brassell was then taken apart for a six and a four as Farhan closed in on history.On his knees between deliveries, Farhan finally reached his century off 57 balls, raising his arm in celebration. He became only the second Pakistani to score a T20 World Cup hundred. The knock was built on resolve, muscle and perfect timing, and was studded with eleven fours and four sixes. His fifty came off 37 balls, and he raced to the next fifty in just 20.Shadab provided the finishing touches with an unbeaten 36 off 22 balls as Pakistan posted 199 for 3, powered by a defining innings from Sahibzada Farhan.
The rocky journey
Farhan made his international debut in 2018. His career began in bizarre fashion, stumped without facing a ball off a Glenn Maxwell wide. In his next game against Australia, he opened with Babar Azam and scored 39 off 38 balls. He played nine matches for Pakistan, batting at multiple positions, before being pushed down the order and fading from the setup.In 2024, while captaining Pakistan A, he publicly criticised the management for unfair treatment and challenged the opening slots of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. “I did not get proper chances as an opener. I have the right to play as an opener for Pakistan,” he said then.Despite aggregating 605 runs in the 2025 National T20 Cup – the most in a single season – Farhan initially went unsold at the PSL 2025 auction. Islamabad United later picked him in the supplementary category, and he repaid the faith by finishing as the tournament’s leading run scorer with 449 runs in 12 innings.Farhan once dreamed of becoming a fast bowler. “I started as a fast bowler in tape-ball cricket, but after a disastrous over, my coach asked me to focus on batting,” he had told Cricfrenzy during the BPL.After a long and rocky journey, the explosive opener has found his groove. Since 2025, he is the only batter in the world to score five T20 centuries. If Pakistan are to go deep in the tournament, much will depend on how Farhan bats at the top.Cricket careers rarely move in straight lines, and Farhan’s has been anything but smooth. Yet on a humid Colombo afternoon, the opener who once waited on the fringes, questioned, doubted and overlooked, answered every question the only way that truly matters in cricket – with runs.Brief Scores Pakistan: 199 for 4 in 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 100 not out, Salman Agha 38, Shadab Khan 36 not out; Jack Brassell 2/48)Namibia: 97 all out in 17.3 overs (Louren Steenkamp 23, Alexander Busing-Volschenk 20; Shadab Khan 3/19, Usman Tariq 4/16)
