RAWALPINDI: Pakistan captain Sahibzada Farhan scored 238 runs against Sri Lanka to set a record for a three-match men’s Twenty20 International (T20I) series between International Cricket Council (ICC) Full Members.
Farhan overtook India opener Abhishek Sharma’s 229 runs against Afghanistan earlier this year. Sharma had scored a century and a half-century during that home series.
The 30-year-old Pakistan opener reached fifty in every match and won the Player of the Series award. He finished with a batting average of 79.33 and a strike rate of 165.27.
He finished with 76 off 47 balls on Tuesday at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Pakistan made 168/8, but Sri Lanka won by eight wickets with 17 deliveries remaining.
Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis led the chase with 87 off 47 balls and earned the Player of the Match award.
Pakistan nevertheless took the series 2-1 after winning the opening two games.
After the final match, Farhan described consistency as his priority. He explained that a successful innings made him more determined to perform in the next game. “The effort is to stay consistent,” he said.
Farhan began the series on October 9 with 89 off 53 balls. His innings included 10 fours and four sixes as Pakistan chased 183 to win by four wickets. Pakistan completed that chase in 18.5 overs.
Read: Sahibzada Farhan Says His Best Sixes Came Against India
In the second match on October 11, Farhan scored 73 from 44 deliveries as the hosts posted 215/3. Sri Lanka finished on 133/7 after 20 overs, giving Pakistan an 82-run victory. Farhan led Pakistan on home soil for the first time after taking over the T20I captaincy.
Behind Sharma on the ICC’s comparison list are New Zealand’s Colin Munro, with 223 runs against West Indies, and Australia’s David Warner. Warner scored 217 runs against Sri Lanka in 2019.
