IND vs PAK: Iftikhar Ahmed Scores Second Fastest Century By A Pakistani In Asia Cup

Iftikhar Ahmed, on Wednesday (August 30), scored his maiden ODI century and he could not have done it on a better day as he bailed Pakistan out of trouble in their Asia Cup opener against Nepal.

The right-handed batsman joined skipper Babar Azam in the middle after Pakistan lost two wickets in quick succession. Batting first, the Men in Green were off to a poor start as both of their openers – Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq departed cheaply inside 7 overs. It was followed by a crucial 86-run stand between Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan before the latter departed for 44.

13 runs later, Agha Salman returned to the pavilion too after scoring just 5 runs. Iftikhar Ahmed and Babar Azam then not only steadied the ship but also finished the innings strongly to help Pakistan finish on 342/6 in the allotted 50 overs. The duo shared a mammoth stand of 214 runs for the fifth wicket before Babar Azam departed for 151 in the final over.

In reply, Nepal failed to come up with a good fight with the bat. Playing their first-ever Asia Cup, the tournament debutants were bowled out for just 104 as Pakistan registered a huge victory of 238 runs to open their campaign. The Leg-spinner was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan, taking 4 wickets.

Iftikhar Ahmed’s whirlwind century:

One of the main reasons behind Pakistan’s huge total after the shaky start was Iftikhar Ahmed’s whirlwind century. The right-handed batsman smashed an unbeaten 109 runs off just 71 balls. His knock was studded with 11 fours and 4 sixes.

Iftikhar Ahmed reached his maiden ODI century in just 67 balls and became the fourth-fastest batter and second-fastest Pakistani to score a century in the Asia Cup. The record for the fastest century in Asia Cup is held by former Pakistan allrounder Shahid Afridi (53 balls) followed by former Sri Lanka opener Sanath Jayasuriya (55 balls) and former India batter Suresh Raina (66 balls).

Iftikhar Ahmed has played just 15 ODIs so far and would be hoping that his first century in the format finally helps him settle down. In 15 games so far, he has scored 402 runs at an average of more than 50 and a strike rate of over 106.