Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan crowned ICC Player of the Month following record T20 WC campaign

Pakistani opener Sahibzada Farhan is crowned the ICC Player of the Month for February following a record T20 World Cup run. Leading the runs tally at his maiden ICC event, Farhan smashed a whopping 383 runs in six outings at 76.60, including two hundreds and as many fifties. The right-hander batter surpassed cricket veteran Virat Kohli’s long-standing tally for the most runs in a single edition (319 in the 2014 edition), striking at 160.25. Even though Pakistan’s campaign revolved around Farhan’s form, the Men in Green failed to reach the tournament’s semifinal.

“It’s an incredible feeling to win this ICC award, especially for performances on the World Cup stage, where fans from all over the world are watching every moment. That makes it even more special,” Farhan said after winning the ICC Player of the Month award for February. “It was truly a tournament I’ll always cherish, and I’m determined to carry this momentum forward in the series and competitions ahead.

“I’m deeply grateful to my teammates for their constant support and belief in me - this wouldn’t have been possible without them,” he concluded.

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Farhan was on top of his game from the start. He smashed his maiden T20I hundred against Namibia in Pakistan’s last Group A game, before registering his second of this showpiece event against Sri Lanka in the do-or-die game for his team. During that match against the tournament’s co-host, Farhan stitched a 176-run stand for the first wicket with his partner Fakhar Zaman, the highest for any wicket in T20Is.

Hammering 212 after batting first, Pakistan needed to restrict Sri Lanka under a certain target (to stay ahead of New Zealand on the NRR and qualify for the semis); however, that didn’t happen. Not only did they fail to do so, thereby eliminating themselves from the semifinal race, but they also nearly conceded the game, which they later won by just five runs.

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Meanwhile, the PCB rewarded Farhan for his standout T20 WC performance by selecting him for the away ODI series against Bangladesh, which Pakistan lost after 11 years, with the opener scoring just 64 runs in three outings at an average of 21.33.

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