Watch: Fakhar Zaman laps four, smashes six off consecutive balls in rapid, record-equalling ODI hundred

Watch: Fakhar Zaman hit a record-equalling ODI century against New Zealand yesterday (April 29), crashing consecutive boundaries off Ish Sodhi as he reached 180* off 144 balls.

Fakhar’s innings was his third consecutive century in ODI cricket, all of them coming against New Zealand. He also became the joint second-fastest man (alongside Shai Hope) to reach 3,000 ODI runs – both having taken 67 innings to do so. Pakistan chased down 337 to win the game – their second-highest chase in ODI history – and took a 2-0 lead in the three match series.

Having reached his fifty off 44 balls, Fakhar looked to attack Sodhi. On 69, he hit three consecutive boundaries off the leg-spinner, first picking off back-to-back fours before carving a six. The first four was a powerful drive to a flatter delivery from Sodhi, over mid-off and down to the boundary.

Changing tack to the next delivery, Fakhar premeditated a lap shot to delicately flick the ball over his shoulder and just evade Henry Shipley on the fine leg boundary.

Finally, he smashed a flighted delivery from Sodhi high into the leg side, clearing the advertising boards with ease and taking him into the 80s.

He reached his 10th ODI hundred off 83 balls with a single off Rachin Ravindra. Babar Azam reached his half-century in the same over, combining with Fakhar in a 135-run partnership. Mohammad Rizwan saw the chase to its conclusion once Babar was dismissed, with a rapid unbeaten half-century.