LAHORE – Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Haris registered the fastest and second fastest T20I centuries for Pakistan in a space of 72 days, showcasing their belligerent batting at the international stage.
Hasan’s scintillating 44-ball century came just in his third T20I outing at Auckland’s Eden Park on 21 March, while wicketkeeper-batter Haris brought up his ton off 45 balls against Bangladesh in the final T20I of the three-match series on 1 June in Lahore.
In the game against New Zealand, both opened the batting and amassed 74 runs off 5.5 overs, the highest-ever Powerplay for Pakistan in T20Is, bettering a nine-year record of 73 runs against England in Manchester.
The duo also contributed a combined 300 runs from 150 balls while batting in the top four during the series sweep over Bangladesh.
Hasan has so far faced 118 balls in Pakistan colours, making 227 runs with 16 fours and as many maximums. Haris, meanwhile, has racked up 370 runs across 17 T20I outings at a strike rate of 152, hitting 33 fours and 21 sixes. What stands out in these numbers is their prodigious ball-striking ability and record-breaking tons early in their careers.
With the domestic 2024-25 and the home international season coming to an end, it is pertinent to trace the build-up towards Hasan and Haris’ spectacular showings with the bat for Pakistan in T20Is.
Mohammad Haris
24-year-old Haris got off the mark in his T20I career with a straight six off England’s Richard Gleeson at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore in September 2022. Nearly three years later, he fittingly brought up his first international century at the scene of his T20I debut.
Haris, who has featured in six ODIs for Pakistan, boasts 16 dismissals behind the stumps in 11 of his 23 outings in white-ball cricket. He enacted five dismissals, including one stumping in the recent series against Bangladesh and hammered 179 runs at a staggering strike rate of 201, earning him the player of the series award.
Haris has featured in 117 T20S, scoring 2,860 runs at a strike rate of 147.65 with the help of one century and 15 half-centuries.
In HBL PSL X, Haris scored 247 runs with a strike rate of 148 in 10 matches for Peshawar Zalmi, including a highest score of 87. His tally of 53 fours and 21 sixes across the two T20 tournaments proved his boundary-hitting capability, striking a boundary every 4.5 balls.
On Sunday night, Haris became the first non-opener and fifth Pakistan batter to register a T20I century, marking a turning point in his Pakistan career.
Hasan Nawaz
Hasan Nawaz banked on the 2024-25 domestic cricket season to stage an HBL PSL comeback and earn the coveted Pakistan cap.
Hasan’s first appearance in the career-defining 2024-25 domestic season began with two appearances for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) in the semi-final and final of the President’s Cup Grade-I, where he scored 46 off 43 (4x4s, 3x6s) and 40 off 50 (2x4s, 2x6s), respectively.
In the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2024-25 in October and November, he accumulated 273 runs for Islamabad Region in five outings. It also included a career-best 169, where he spent 406 minutes on the crease against Larkana Region, striking 21 fours and one six as only one other batter crossed the 50-run mark from his side.
Hasan took the HBL PSL X by storm with his middle-order heroics, managing 399 runs in 12 matches with one century and three half-centuries, striking at 162 – the second-highest among eight batters to score over 300 runs in the season.
The 22-year-old was not only declared player of the tournament for his high-pressure knocks but was also named Best Batter, plotting a remarkable comeback after 28 runs in three appearances for Islamabad United in 2023.
