Ramiz Raja gives Fakhar Zaman a standing ovation for his double century

The limited-overs format is increasingly losing the balance between bat and ball. Bowlers are being smashed all over the park and 300 plus scores are being scored almost every other match. England’s 481 against Australia provided some warning signs about the game not heading in the right direction. Changes have to brought quickly to strike the balance otherwise we may not be far from witnessing a 500-run target in an ODI game.

Fakhar Zaman has been one of the best limited-overs players for Pakistan in the recent past. The opening batsman is known to provide a solid platform for the others to follow. His ‘see the ball, hit the ball’ approach makes him a crowd puller and a package that is hard to ignore in shorter formats of the game. Fakhar’s fairytale career got the spotlight with the Champions Trophy 2017 final against India where he played a tremendous knock under pressure to take his team towards victory. He has become the poster boy of Pakistan cricket since then and has never looked back.

A knock to remember

On Friday, Pakistan were facing a helpless Zimbabwe side in Bulawayo. The Men in Green had already won the series and were looking coextend their domination. After opting to bat, Pakistan raced to 399 with the loss of just one wicket. Fakhar at his brilliant best became the first Pakistani player to score a double century. The opener remained unbeaten on 210 off just 156 balls.

Former cricketer turned commentator Ramiz Raja praised Fakhar for his special knock and had a special tweet for him. He tweeted,”Now we are talking !! Salute and standing ovation.”

Fakhar’s knock included 24 fours and five sixes. He went past Saeed Anwar’s 194 to record the highest individual score for a Pakistan batsman in an ODI game. A host of current and former cricketers from Pakistan and abroad have acknowledged and lauded the opener’s effort.

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