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[VIDEOS/PICTURES] Sahibzada Farhan - First impressions

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Sikandar Bakht: Well done on your fantastic knock, I think Abdul Razzaq would have seen it and you will be in his "Strike Force" camp very soon.
 
I will prefer sahibzada Farhan over Hasan Nawaz because farhan has the wide range of shots whereas nawaz is just a wild slogger who wont score in every other match.

 
Seen a plenty of Sahibzada in recent T20 series .. and we all know how that turned out.

Scores of 8, 5, 8 and 4 ... international cricket is a different ball game.
 
Sahibzada could have a better ODI career than Imam. At one time he used to avg near 50 in List A. He is not suited to T20s.
 
farhan is only good for domestics. His game in international was exposed when he got out in every game on a short pitched delivery.

move on from him now. He is not fit for t20s
 
BouncerGuy said:
farhan is only good for domestics. His game in international was exposed when he got out in every game on a short pitched delivery.

move on from him now. He is not fit for t20s
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He will do just fine at international cricket in asian conditions.

Actually plays shorter ball better than Hasan Nawaz and has more range to his shots , Hasan is also talented but he just got more lucky yesterday compare to Farhan , if Farhan had scored a big fifty or a ton in International cricket then we would be praising him as the next Gayle or Ab. This is pure luck when it comes to International cricket.
 
Aami said:
Seen a plenty of Sahibzada in recent T20 series .. and we all know how that turned out.

Scores of 8, 5, 8 and 4 ... international cricket is a different ball game.
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That means nothing

Hassan Nawaz to ducks in a row and then the fastest T20 hundred by a Pakistani
 
Cricket Warrior said:
I will prefer sahibzada Farhan over Hasan Nawaz because farhan has the wide range of shots whereas nawaz is just a wild slogger who wont score in every other match.

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Transition from domestics to international is not so simple. It's about the mindset and ability to handle pressure.
Also some batsmen don't have it in them to play higher quality of bowling.

Whenever I've seen Sahibzada bat for Pakistan he's looked completely out of depth. Almost as if he freezes.

Hassan has shown great mental strength after scoring ducks in first two games.
 
Farhan always seemed late on the ball when he played international one thing I liked about Hassan was even though he was slogging but he was not getting rushed by the pace most of his
Miscues were due to him going over gung ho
 
Ahmed216 said:
Transition from domestics to international is not so simple. It's about the mindset and ability to handle pressure.
Also some batsmen don't have it in them to play higher quality of bowling.

Whenever I've seen Sahibzada bat for Pakistan he's looked completely out of depth. Almost as if he freezes.

Hassan has shown great mental strength after scoring ducks in first two games.
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Or some players need more time to get settled
 
Sahibzada Farhan was spotted in an interview with a local news channel. He added:

"It feels special to play against Lahore Qalandars since I was part of their squad last season,"

"But my goal is to perform consistently against all teams. That’s my role — to contribute and help Islamabad United win,"

"There were still a few franchises looking for replacements, and I was fortunate that Islamabad United picked me," he noted.

"I'm happy that I’ve been able to carry forward my domestic form into the PSL," he remarked.

"I had set a target to score two centuries in the National T20 Cup but ended up scoring three. Now, I just want to keep that momentum going," he said.

"Our combination is working really well. The atmosphere in the dressing room is positive. The captain and coach have shown great trust in us, and when players feel that confidence, they tend to perform better," he concluded.
 
From unpicked to unstoppable; Farhan powers United's charge in HBL PSL X

Islamabad United – the defending champions of the previous edition of the HBL PSL – are leading the points table of HBL PSL X with 10 points from six matches. The side has won five of their six matches, with the only loss coming against the home side, Lahore Qalandars, on Wednesday night at the Gaddafi Stadium, after five consecutive wins.

United opening batter Sahibzada Farhan was initially not picked in the HBL PSL Player Draft in January this year, and was later selected after he top-scored in the recently concluded National T20 Cup. He scored 605 runs in seven matches, including three centuries and two half-centuries. The Peshawar Region player scored at a staggering strike rate of 189.66 and an average of 121.

In the ongoing edition of HBL PSL, Farhan has scored 245 runs from six outings at a strike-rate of 161.18, with one century and a half-century.

Talking exclusively to PCB Digital, Farhan shed light on his recent form and what areas he has been working on. On how he got into the Islamabad United side in this edition of the HBL PSL, Sahibzada Farhan recalled, “I had performed well in the National T20 and I knew there were some places available in the teams. I would like to give credit to Islamabad United for picking me first.”

When asked what he has been doing differently to bring consistent performances in recent times, Farhan said, “I have been performing for the last four years and in the past two years, I have been in top form in four-day cricket. Over the last year, I have been a top performer in the One-Day tournament. I am working on my strike-rate and trying to improve it compared to before. I know that if I get the opportunity to play for my country again, I will try to execute with a better strike-rate there.”

Regarding the role given to him by United, the right-handed batter said: “They have given me a free hand and allowed me to play my natural game. Sometimes, Shadab Khan and Salman Ali Agha talk to me in the nets, but I am trying to execute the shots which I have played in the previous events.”

On his first HBL PSL century, which came against Peshawar Zalmi at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on 14 April, he said, “I had the confidence from the beginning that I could score a century in this edition of the HBL PSL. I had set my sights high and I feel it was one of my best innings. I am hoping to play a similar knock again in this tournament.”

Reflected on his journey with Islamabad United who he previously represented in 2018 and 2019, Farhan said, “Islamabad United is not a new side for me. I have played for them twice before and know Shadab both as a captain and as a player. I am enjoying my time here and trying to improve my batting with each passing day.”

On United’s success so far in the tournament, 29-year-old Farhan ruled out complacency and said, “We are not going to relax after winning five matches. The tournament is still on and we are focused on qualifying for the play-offs.”

PCB
 
He's a great player to watch when he gets going. So much raw power behind his shots and can hit them really cleanly too.
 
Hope when he gets a chance, he can make it count. He cannot botch this chance.
 
Sahibzada Farhan turning on the heat at Rawalpindi stadium...a magnificent knock so far that helped him fetch fifty against Karachi Kings. So far at 51"(29)
 
He is back in the t20 side... Time for him to take his PSL form into the national side and prove why he should play in the top order and why he should be in the team.
 
Sahibzada Farhan proving his critics wrong but another brilliant half century on his comeback. Currently at 63"(40) against Bangladesh in the 3rd T20I
 
Has improved a lot. Should be starting in every game from now on. Saim has been disappointing.
 
He will struggle in Southern hemisphere but he is a force in Asia. He hits in a good arc and even his mis-hits go for six.

1. Saim
2. Farhan
3. Fakhar

It is unfortunate that Hesson thinks that only 2 of these 3 can play when all 3 should be playing.
 
He reminds me of Ahmed Shehzad. Good shots that go straight to the fielders and then a six out of nowhere. No matter how slow or fast he seems to be playing, the final strike rate is almost always between 120-130.

Honestly he should start keeping and bat at 3.

Naeem and Saim as openers, him at 3, & Hassan Nawaz at 4 is a very modern batting lineup.
 
Did a pretty good job in the PP with Saim looking for flow as well tbh, half of these lot don’t watch the match unless it’s one or two players at the crease, the minimum for the openers is to exploit the PP and it was a solid start & he got that crucial boundary of the last ball of the PP as well. I think the batting of the saint should be scrutinised, and that’s not even discussing his shameless politicking to get picked. The other saint messed with the wrong person so stop dreaming of seeing the two tutsi’s in Pink.
 
The same people praising him for his knock in the final against India, which featured Bumrah, are now bashing him and overlooking Babar’s efforts.

Easy to spot a Rizbar shill from a mile away. Some of them (like the poster above) have put cringeworthy display pics. Deep down they think they’re cool but nah the whole forum is cringing at the state of you.
 
Farhan’s doing fine and is our best batsmen these days. Can’t really target him when every other batsman in the team is worse.

It’s good Saim has done well hopefully he’ll keep it up. I think Farhan in the past has had the disadvantage of opening with a non performing player. If Saim starts performing again, I think you’ll see Farhan do even better.
 
Aggressive anchor that is his role. Someone who stays for 5 or 6 overs. Consumes dot balls in between hits sixes or fours. Finish with a strike rate of 120 odd. Today Marsh showed how you don't stop once you start.
 
GoUgandaCranes said:
He reminds me of Ahmed Shehzad. Good shots that go straight to the fielders and then a six out of nowhere. No matter how slow or fast he seems to be playing, the final strike rate is almost always between 120-130.

Honestly he should start keeping and bat at 3.

Naeem and Saim as openers, him at 3, & Hassan Nawaz at 4 is a very modern batting lineup.
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He has strike rotation issues but he gets those big hits in the power play.

People clutching at straws here by bringing in Rizwan and Babar need to realize they batted below 100 SR most times in the last two years. Look at Babar tonight, a strike-rate of 61 when the other batter is going at 186.

The point is to find someone better than Farhan in the long run, not fall back on selfish schmucks based on their performance two years ago.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
Aggressive anchor that is his role. Someone who stays for 5 or 6 overs. Consumes dot balls in between hits sixes or fours. Finish with a strike rate of 120 odd. Today Marsh showed how you don't stop once you start.
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He doesn’t do what he does consciously

He needs to understand that he’s going to have to force the issue sometimes.

It’s like he’s often sitting back waiting for bowlers to bowl short to him but instead they keep hitting a length.

Guys like Marsh, Abhishek, Butler, Salt etc can often read what length bowlers will bowl to them and that’s why they are usually in a much better shape to hit/rotate
 
Rana said:
He doesn’t do what he does consciously

He needs to understand that he’s going to have to force the issue sometimes.

It’s like he’s often sitting back waiting for bowlers to bowl short to him but instead they keep hitting a length.

Guys like Marsh, Abhishek, Butler, Salt etc can often read what length bowlers will bowl to them and that’s why they are usually in a much better shape to hit/rotate
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He lacks range that is the problem. His only shot is just stand and swing through the line as hard as possible. Not really convincing with any other shots. If you plug long off and long on he pretty much has to play across the line. Also whenever the ball jags back in he has no other shot. Pace off delivery is also a problem for him. Looking at his technique he is not going to become a 360 degree player at this age. He is serviceable on slow flat pitches whenever bowler bowls length ball.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
He lacks range that is the problem. His only shot is just stand and swing through the line as hard as possible. Not really convincing with any other shots. If you plug long off and long on he pretty much has to play across the line. Also whenever the ball jags back in he has no other shot. Pace off delivery is also a problem for him. Looking at his technique he is not going to become a 360 degree player at this age. He is serviceable on slow flat pitches whenever bowler bowls length ball.
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He’s a strong attacker of spin, plus he isn’t scared to pull. He’s lacking a strong cut shot. He definitely has way more attacking options than Babar and Rizwan in the powerplay…so that’s a no brainer to compare those two to him.

Fakhar is a bit different. Fakhar’s strong shot and get out of jail is to advance down and swat through long on/mid wicket. He plays with lengths and then looks to cut-ramp through point. Then he will bring in the swivel feel pulls

Saim is probably the best T20 opener in Pakistan when it comes to all round shot range but I think Sahibzada is a vital player because he is a natural tone setter/ the type who cements batting authority from the beginning.

He is Pakistan’s big boss opener right now. His aggressive starts translate into confidence for the remaining batters.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
He lacks range that is the problem.
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Pak fans became agenda peddlers. Pro vs anti rizbar. No one is accepting to look for any other alternatives. Every one is think these are the best ones .they settled either with rizbar nonsense or a mediocre xyz at 120 sr.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
He lacks range that is the problem. His only shot is just stand and swing through the line as hard as possible. Not really convincing with any other shots. If you plug long off and long on he pretty much has to play across the line. Also whenever the ball jags back in he has no other shot. Pace off delivery is also a problem for him. Looking at his technique he is not going to become a 360 degree player at this age. He is serviceable on slow flat pitches whenever bowler bowls length ball.
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This guy is the definition of a flat-track bully. I think Pakistan should take what they can get. A player like him and run away and score big too if it's a flat, low-bounce pitch. May be more useful in ODI
 
Very limited player. Only relies on boundaries, that too mainly sixes.

This means that even when he comes off, most of the time his strike rate is still hovering around 110-115.

He scored 12 boundary runs off 2 balls and 10 non boundary runs off 18!

I think him or Babar will almost do the same job opening for Pakistan.
 
Rana said:
He’s a strong attacker of spin, plus he isn’t scared to pull. He’s lacking a strong cut shot. He definitely has way more attacking options than Babar and Rizwan in the powerplay…so that’s a no brainer to compare those two to him.

Fakhar is a bit different. Fakhar’s strong shot and get out of jail is to advance down and swat through long on/mid wicket. He plays with lengths and then looks to cut-ramp through point. Then he will bring in the swivel feel pulls

Saim is probably the best T20 opener in Pakistan when it comes to all round shot range but I think Sahibzada is a vital player because he is a natural tone setter/ the type who cements batting authority from the beginning.

He is Pakistan’s big boss opener right now. His aggressive starts translate into confidence for the remaining batters.
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He has played 283 balls in power play in the year 2025. That translates into 47 overs. of which 147 dot balls. That translates in to 24 overs. Basically every other over he faces in the power play is a maiden. If that is the role he has been given that's a different argument.

I compared with another subcontinental opener in power play for the year 2025. It is eerily identical. They faced same number of balls in power play. That opener is fractionally better in terms of strike rate despite 5 sixes less. He hits more fours. Less dots.

Screenshot-2025-10-31-185312.jpg
 
Vikram1989 said:
Pak fans became agenda peddlers. Pro vs anti rizbar. No one is accepting to look for any other alternatives. Every one is think these are the best ones .they settled either with rizbar nonsense or a mediocre xyz at 120 sr.
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We get annoyed with lack of wins. So it creates the feeling of you winning if the players you back over others win, or the ones you are anti fail.

Especially given how heated the discussion is, some people now care more about them being right than the team winning. On both sides. It’s like fighting your own personal battles.

I think a big part of the annoyance is decline in bowling. Being a Pakistan fan you always felt like there would always be a chance with the bowling. It was a sense of pride.

RizBar is an easy thing to fight over. Either RizBar is the root of all problems in the side. Or if they’re out, this is why our team sucks.

Our biggest issue in my opinion is the middle order batting from 3 to 6. Which is an issue whether RizBar is there or not. It causes us to be in batting collapses everytime a wicket falls and puts insane pressure on our openers. But I think it’s a skill issue, middle order batting in t20s is difficult. It feels like batting with half a batting line up.
 
ads101 said:
We get annoyed with lack of wins. So it creates the feeling of you winning if the players you back over others win, or the ones you are anti fail.


I think a big part of the annoyance is decline in bowling.

RizBar is an easy thing to fight over.

Our biggest issue in my opinion is the middle order batting from 3 to 6. . It feels like batting with half a batting line up.
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What's the use of calling anyone as fan , if he isn't open for any alternative for the sake of team?.
Pro rizbar fans are suggesting them for every failure spot irrespective of feasibility. Batting till 8 made every team bowling a bit weak unless u got a great set of bowlers who can bat. As shown by pak earlier in away tours, they dont have any batsmen who can compete outside of sc.pak should look for any good players who can atleast play in sub continent now.they should have good hitting ability, sense.
 
Vikram1989 said:
What's the use of calling anyone as fan , if he isn't open for any alternative for the sake of team?.
Pro rizbar fans are suggesting them for every failure spot irrespective of feasibility. Batting till 8 made every team bowling a bit weak unless u got a great set of bowlers who can bat. As shown by pak earlier in away tours, they dont have any batsmen who can compete outside of sc.pak should look for any good players who can atleast play in sub continent now.they should have good hitting ability, sense.
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Given the growth rate of other teams in T20, pakistan is never going to catch up with them in this format. They might as well focus on ODI/Test format.
 
Farhan's issue is Dot balls. He can strike ball but it makes no sense if he played next 6 balls as dots... The whole vibe gets killed... Dominate means dominate, not playing 15 dots balls and then score 25 of 23 balls in the end.
 
He probably hits more sixes than any other Pakistani batsman, and yet still tends to finish with a SR between 120-129.

Tells you all you need to know about his batting.
 
He is a good hitter but also scores a lot of dots. Need to improve on those dot balls.
 
He is actually very good with hitting and clearing the inner circle in the PP. Needs to work on rotating the strike more and decreasing the dot ball percentage. Not too long ago, he had no footwork in his game but he has been able to rectify that.
 
BouncerGuy said:
Farhan's issue is Dot balls. He can strike ball but it makes no sense if he played next 6 balls as dots... The whole vibe gets killed... Dominate means dominate, not playing 15 dots balls and then score 25 of 23 balls in the end.
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As I said... His issue remains the same... He does not know how to rotate a strike. He is a hitter but it is not paying off atm with such a mediocre strike rate
 
BouncerGuy said:
As I said... His issue remains the same... He does not know how to rotate a strike. He is a hitter but it is not paying off atm with such a mediocre strike rate
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You can get away with poor strike rotation when you can produce big overs like 20 to 25 run over. That will make up for dot balls.
 
BouncerGuy said:
His strike rate is still under 130....
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Yes that is because his acceleration skill is not top level. Chris Gayle used to play even 1 run over upfront. Once he kicks on his acceleration skill is exceptional . Same way Rohit sharma. In 2017 against Srilanka he scored 10 runs in 8 balls. Next 91 runs came in 27 balls. Kohli doesn't hit too many sixes. But he constantly rotates strike. You can achieve good strike rate many ways. Farhan has practiced base ball style hitting against half vollies , length balls when at the stump without any movement or pace. He doesn't have answer against most of the other balls. If you watch Rohit's 35 ball 100 you can see he hardly broke sweat. All exquisitedly timed fours and sixes.
 
SWap him with Rizwan to energize team balance, that way back up wicket keeping covered and Intent merchant of 120ish SR gets traded with like for like, Hesson wake up!
 
His is good however his lack of strike rotation will cost him his place as bigger teams will not let him hit boundaries freely. So will always end up throwing his wicket to keep scoreboard ticking.

But that's alright you can afford a player like him in playing 11. His role should be to attack no matter what the situation is, like he did vs India in Asia Cup.
 
50 off 35 balls for Sahibzada Farhan as Pakistan lock horns with Zimbabwe in 4th match of the T20I Tri-Series
 
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