Fakhar Zaman produced a commanding knock under pressure in the ODI tri-series final on Saturday, smashing a century against Sri Lanka to draw level with Pakistan batting legend Saeed Anwar in the record books at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.
With Pakistan chasing a challenging target of 326, Fakhar set the tone with an explosive innings, reaching his 12th ODI hundred in just 84 balls.
He kept the scoreboard ticking with an aggressive mix of boundaries and sixes before departing for a blistering 127 off 99 deliveries, including 11 fours and six sixes. Sri Lanka’s Dilshan Madushanka ended his stay at the crease in the 34th over.
The century marked Fakhar’s second in an ODI tournament final, following his memorable hundred against India in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy final at The Oval in London.
His latest feat put him alongside Anwar as the Pakistani batter with the most centuries in ODI tournament finals. Anwar had reached the milestone with hundreds against Sri Lanka in the 1993 Wills Trophy final and India in the 1998 Silver Jubilee Independence Cup final.
Fakhar’s match-defining innings also took him past the 4,000-run mark in ODI cricket, making him the 16th Pakistani batter to reach the landmark. He joined an elite group featuring Inzamam-ul-Haq, Javed Miandad, Younis Khan and Anwar.
The 36-year-old now has 4,019 runs from 96 ODI innings at an average of 44.65 and a strike rate of 93.57. His tally includes 12 centuries and 19 half-centuries.
