NEW DELHI: Sahibzada Farhan struck a scintillating maiden century to power Pakistan to a commanding 199 for three against Namibia in their must-win T20 World Cup clash on Wednesday.

Farhan needed just 20 deliveries to go from 50 to 100 and finished unbeaten on 100 off 58 balls, becoming only the second Pakistani to score a T20 World Cup century after Ahmed Shehzad’s ton against Bangladesh in 2014 at Mirpur.

He struck 11 boundaries and four sixes while sharing crucial partnerships of 67 runs with skipper Salman Agha (38 off 23 balls) and 81 runs with Shadab Khan (36 not out off 22 balls).

Pakistan recover after slow start

Batting first, Pakistan scored 47 runs in the powerplay for the loss of Saim Ayub’s wicket (14 off 12 balls).

Trying to bounce back from a heavy defeat to traditional rivals India, Pakistan strengthened their middle order with the inclusion of Khawaja Nafay while leaving out pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, who was struggling for form.

The team struggled at times, with defensive batting keeping the score at 55 for one after several overs at the Sinhalese Sports Club. Skipper Salman Agha broke the deadlock with a six off Willem Myburgh, coming down the track to loft the ball over long-on.

Big hits boost run rate

Following his captain’s lead, Farhan attacked Myburgh with a big six over deep mid-wicket and repeated the feat with a slog sweep over the same region, taking Pakistan’s run rate to new heights. Salman Agha then cleared Bernard Scholtz straight down the ground for another maximum before being caught by Gerhard Erasmus off Brassell.

Nafay began with a boundary but was soon dismissed, caught and bowled by Namibian skipper Erasmus.

Farhan continued to dominate the innings, cutting, pulling, and driving with precision, while Shadab Khan finished the Pakistan innings with a couple of sixes off Erasmus in the final over, ensuring a formidable total.

(With PTI Inputs)