Fakhar first Pakistani to score 500 T20I runs in calendar year

KARACHI: Pakistan’s flamboyant batsman Fakhar Zaman on Sunday became country’s first ever batsman to score 500 T20I runs in a calendar year.

The 28-year-old batsman smashed a match-winning 91 to help Pakistan chase the target of 184 comfortably against Australia – which was also team’s highest successful chase.

The innings that included 12 boundaries and three shots for maximum took Zaman’s total score tally in the year to 516, which is highest by any Pakistani player in the shortest format during a calendar year.

Only two players have scored more runs than Fakhar in a year, Virat Kohli (641) and Mohammad Shahzad (520), both in 2010. 

Pakistan are scheduled to play at least 6 more T20Is this year and Fakhar has the opportunity to create a world record of most runs in a calendar year. To achieve this record, Fakhar needs to score at least 126 runs.

Fakhar was also adjudged man of the series for the triangular T20i tournament as he scored 278 runs in 5 matches – the most runs scored by a Pakistani batsman in a tournament or series. Fakhar was only 41 runs short of Kohli’s world record of most runs in a tournament which he created during World T20 2014 by scoring 319 runs.

The target chase, team’s highest successful chase, was also their 10th consecutive successful run chase in T20Is. No other team has been this consistent witch successful chases in T20Is.

Pakistan – which is usually considered not a good chaser in limited over Cricket – hasn’t failed in chasing target since Sarfaraz Ahmed took over the captaincy.

This was also team’s overall 35th successful chase, the by any team.

The title was 9th consecutive series/tournament win for Pakistan.