22-year-old Abdullah Fazal scored a hundred in his third T20 in Pakistan’s National T20 Cup, continuing the rapid start to his T20 career.
Fazal made his T20 debut during Karachi Region Blues’ first match of the tournament against Larkana Region on March 15. He was an instant hit, striking a 41-ball 61 in an unbeaten opening stand with Jahanzaib Sultan, who scored 79 off 43. Their partnership helped their team chase down 142 with 10 wickets in hand and six overs to spare.
The southpaw opener followed it up with another notable innings in the next match against Quetta Region, scoring a 29-ball 40 in Karachi Blues' seven-wicket win. Despite losing his opening partner, Sultan, for a duck while chasing 139, Fazal pressed his foot on the accelerator, slamming seven fours to give his side a quickfire start.
Two wins and four losses.
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) March 19, 2025
A challenging start for Salman Ali Agha as Pakistan's T20I captain.#SalmanAgha #NZvsPAK #Cricket pic.twitter.com/kE05vCauHn
Fazal ensured that he carried his purple patch and went on to better his previous two performances with a maiden hundred against Peshawar Region. Fazal spearheaded Karachi Blues’ batting effort scoring more than half of the runs. His 103 off 61 consisted of 11 fours and three sixes, helping his side to reach 183-3. Peshawar were restricted for 167-9 with Fazal earning his maiden Player of the Match award.
Who is Abdullah Fazal?
With 204 runs at an average of 204 in three outings, Fazal is the leading run-scorer in the tournament so far. Sahibzada Farhan, who has played one match fewer than Fazal, is next with 176 runs to his name.
Before the National T20 Cup, Fazal had also made his first-class debut this season in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy where he scored 316 runs from five matches at 45.14. He also featured in the President's Trophy Grade-I after that, playing for Higher Education Commission. From seven games there, Fazal scored 465 runs at 33.21. He is yet to play List A cricket.
Pakistan have undergone wholesale changes to their T20I squad, dropping seniors Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan for the New Zealand tour. However, their batting still remains an issue, which was exposed during the first two matches. In the first game, they suffered their worst-ever defeat after being bowled out for 91. The second match didn’t see an inspiring performance either, as they managed only 135-9 in a rain-curtailed 15-overs-a-side fixture, which the hosts chased down with five wickets and 11 balls to spare.
In Fazal, Karachi Blues might have unearthed a batting star who can potentially address Pakistan's top-order T20I woes in the future, particularly when it comes to scoring quickly.
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