DUBAI: Sahibzada Farhan etched his name into the record books on Sunday as he became the first-ever Pakistani batter to strike Jasprit Bumrah for a six in international cricket — ending a 400-ball wait.
The moment came in the Pakistan vs India Asia Cup clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium when Farhan dispatched Bumrah’s delivery on the third ball of the sixth over.
The audacious heave sent the ball soaring over backwards square leg, stunning even India’s star fielder Suryakumar Yadav.
Cricket fans lauded Farhan’s fearless stroke, noting that Bumrah, widely regarded as one of the world’s finest fast bowlers, had never before conceded a six to a Pakistani batter in his international career.
Matches between the neighbours always attract global attention, but this time, the occasion carries a different sentiment — as this is the first time that they are facing each other after the four-day May war.
Despite Pakistan’s recent performance, the overall T20I head-to-head record favors India, who have won 10 of the 13 encounters. In the Asia Cup T20 format, India leads 2-1.
Their most recent meeting came during the 2024 T20 World Cup in New York, where Rohit Sharma’s India narrowly defeated Babar Azam’s Pakistan in a low-scoring thriller.
Playing XIs
Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Haris (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha (c), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed.
India: Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.