Key points
- Farhan’s last seven innings read: 62, 76, 162, 26, 148, and 17.
- With 605 runs at a strike rate of 189, he finished as the tournament’s highest-ever run-scorer in a single edition.
- It positions him for inclusion International Circle
ISLAMABAD: The remarkable journey of Sahibzada Farhan in the National T20 Cup came to a disappointing end on Thursday, as Peshawar fell to Lahore Blues by nine wickets in the final. However, his impressive display has positioned him as a strong contender for an international call-up.
Just five days after unleashing a breathtaking unbeaten 162 off 72 deliveries—marking the joint third-highest individual score in T20 history—he dazzled once again in the semi-final with a blistering 148.
This achievement made him the first cricketer to notch two scores over 130 in a single T20 tournament, as well as the fifth ever to secure three or more centuries in such a competition. Remarkably, all three of his hundreds emerged in his last six innings.
However, his heroics did not translate into championship glory as Peshawar faced Lahore Blues in Faisalabad.
Opening the innings, Farhan offered a glimpse of his brilliance with a boundary and a six but fell short, scoring just 17 runs from 16 balls. Peshawar stumbled during the powerplay, quickly finding themselves at 38-4. They struggled to recover from this early setback, with Salman Mirza delivering a masterclass in bowling, claiming four wickets for just 21 runs, restricting Peshawar to a meagre total of 110-9.
Lahore Blues, on the other hand, made light work of the chase, led by opener Umar Siddiq, who struck a confident 64 off 46 balls, peppered with six fours and two sixes. They chased down the paltry target in just 16 overs, with nine wickets still in hand, securing their fifth title.
Over his last seven innings, Farhan’s run tally read impressively: 62, 76, 162, 26, 148, and 17. With a total of 605 runs at a staggering strike rate of 189, he emerged as the leading run-scorer in a single edition of the tournament, eclipsing his own record of 492 runs from the previous season.
In doing so, he also surpassed Fakhar Zaman’s previous record of 588 runs in PSL 2022—the highest by a Pakistani batter in a T20 competition—achieving this remarkable feat in just seven innings compared to Fakhar’s 13.
While Farhan may feel a pang of disappointment that his stellar season didn’t end with silverware, his impressive performances have undoubtedly positioned him as a strong contender for an international call-up, having last worn the national colours in December 2024.
