PAK vs NEP: Iftikhar Ahmed Only Behind Zaheer Abbas In Unique List As The Batter Smashes Records Alongside Babar Azam

The 32-year-old Pakistan National Cricket Team middle-order batsman Iftikhar Ahmed has joined the legendary batter Zaheer Abbas in a unique list following his maiden century in One Day International (ODI) cricket.

Iftikhar Ahmed showcased a batting masterclass in the Asia Cup 2023 opening encounter against Nepal National Cricket Team at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, August 30.

The Men In Green were off to a poor start in the match as both the openers got out after playing poor innings. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan steadied the ship by stitching up a terrific partnership.

After the dismissal of Rizwan and Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed joined Babar Azam in the middle and together they shifted the momentum of the game completely towards the home side.

Iftikhar Ahmed batted with great intent and took the responsibility to attack, which led to Babar Azam playing his natural game and completing his century.

Iftikhar Ahmed continued batting brilliantly and he smashed the Nepal bowlers all over the park to complete his maiden ODI century off 67 balls. The 32-year-old scored an unbeaten 109 runs off 71 balls, including 11 fours and 4 sixes. The knocks from Babar and Iftikhar helped Pakistan post 342/6 on the board.

Iftikhar Ahmed Becomes Second-oldest Pakistan Player To Hit Maiden Century In ODIs

As Iftikhar completed his ton, he became the second-oldest Pakistan player to register a maiden century in ODIs at the age of 32 years and 361 days. He is now only behind Zaheer Abbas, who was aged 34 years and 146 days when he hit his first ODI ton in 1981 against Australia.

Meanwhile, Iftikhar’s 67-ball ton was the third-fastest century in ODIs in Pakistan and overall the joint fifth-fastest century by a Pakistan player in ODIs.

Fastest ODI Ton By Pakistan Batters:

37 – Shahid Afridi vs SL, Nairobi, 1996

45 – Shahid Afridi vs IND, Kanpur, 2005

53 – Shahid Afridi vs BAN, Dambulla, 2010

61 – Sharjeel Khan vs IRE, Malahide, 2016

67 – Basit Ali vs WI, Sharjah, 1993

67 – Iftikhar Ahmed vs NEP, Multan, 2023

Also, Iftikhar added 214 runs with Babar Azam, which was the highest partnership for Pakistan in home ODIs and the highest fifth-wicket stand for Pakistan in ODIs. This was also the third-highest partnership for any wicket in Asia Cup history.