**Fakhar Zaman Praises Hasan Nawaz for Blistering T20I Century**
Pakistani opener Fakhar Zaman lauded newcomer Hasan Nawaz for his incredible century against New Zealand in the third T20I in Auckland. Nawaz’s explosive performance saw him reach his century in just 44 balls, making him the fastest Pakistani to achieve the feat in T20Is.
Zaman, taking to X (formerly Twitter), expressed his admiration for the 22-year-old’s knock, which came during a challenging chase of over 205 runs, keeping Pakistan’s hopes alive in the five-match series.
“Incredibly proud of Pakistan’s performance today. This is the type of intent and mindset that is needed to chase big totals! Have always seen and believed in Hassan Nawaz’s calibre, to score a century in T20i that too in your debut series just shows what he is capable of. A youngster to look forward to! Crucial contributions by Muhammad Haris and Agha Salman in this phenomenal win. Series is ours boys, lets do this. Pakistan Zindabad.,” Zaman wrote.
Hasan Nawaz’s century not only broke Babar Azam’s previous record of 49 balls (against South Africa in 2021) but also led Pakistan to their second-highest successful run chase in T20 cricket.
The victory was particularly impressive, with Pakistan reaching the target with 24 balls remaining, their best-ever performance in terms of balls left when chasing a 200+ target. Pakistan’s highest successful T20 run chase remains their 208/3 against the West Indies in Karachi in 2021.