Jahandad Khan made his international debut during the third and final T20I of Pakistan’s tour of Australia. Here’s all you need to know about the Pakistan all-rounder.
Having already lost the series, Pakistan made two changes to their XI, with Haseebullah replacing captain Mohammad Rizwan and Jahandad earning his maiden international cap.
Jahandad, 21, is an all-rounder who predominantly bowls left-arm pace besides being an explosive left-hand batter. Before his debut, he played 19 T20s, picking up 18 wickets at an average of 29.50 besides scoring 154 runs at 17.11. However, it's worth noting that those runs came at a strike rate of 187.80.
His best of 45 not out with the bat came while playing for Lahore Qalandars against Quetta Gladiators in the 2024 Pakistan Super League. Coming in at No.5 with his team at 103-4 in 13.1 overs, Jahandad struck at 264.70. He smashed four towering sixes and three fours en route to his blazing knock. The highlight of that innings was how he took down the spinners with brute force with almost no footwork. After posting 187-7 on the board, the Qalandars still lost the match, but it announced the arrival of a potential hard-hitting all-rounder Pakistan have been longing for in their middle order.
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Jahandad’s breakthrough moment with the ball came in the 2024 Champions One-Day Cup, one of the three new competitions introduced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Playing for the Stallions, he finished as the second-highest wicket-taker (10) after Mohammad Hasnain (17). In the List-A format, he has picked up 40 wickets from 23 innings at an average of 24.55 and an economy of 6.06 besides scoring 221 runs at 15.78, with a best of 51 not out.
A month preceding the domestic tournament, he won the Player of the Match for Pakistan Shaheens during their Top End T20 Series fixture against Melbourne Renegades Academy. Jahandad picked up 3-19 off his 3.3 overs, including 11 dots. The impressive white-ball form earned him a call-up to Pakistan’s T20I squad for their Australia and subsequent Zimbabwe tours.
While Jahandad’s white-ball form caught the attention of the Pakistan selectors, first-class cricket is where he has dominated in his brief six-match career. Having made his debut for Rawalpindi in October 2023, he has 29 wickets at 23.62 with a best of 7-65, including three four-wicket hauls.
On debut for Pakistan, however, Jahandad couldn't do much with the bat, struggling to five off ten balls in an innings that collapsed from 61-1 to 117 all out. Pakistan would hope that he could conjure up some magic with the ball in the second innings.
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