Sahibzada Farhan etched his name into T20 World Cup folklore with a masterful century that not only powered Pakistan to a formidable total but also shattered multiple records in the process. On February 28, 2026, in a high-stakes Super Eight clash against Sri Lanka at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, the 29-year-old opener delivered a blistering 100 off 60 balls — his second ton of the tournament — to become the first batter in history to score two centuries in a single edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Pakistan, batting first after Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to field, needed a big performance to keep their semi-final hopes alive. Entering the match with just one point from two Super Eight games and trailing New Zealand on net run rate, Salman Agha’s side required a victory by a substantial margin — at least 64 runs if defending — to overhaul the Kiwis and sneak into the last four.
Farhan, already the tournament’s leading run-scorer, walked out with Fakhar Zaman and set the tone from ball one. The opening pair forged a record-breaking 176-run stand for the first wicket — the highest partnership in T20 World Cup history at that point — dismantling Sri Lanka’s attack with ruthless precision. Farhan raced to his fifty off 32 balls, bringing up the milestone with a couple to deep cover off Dasun Shanaka. He continued to dominate, mixing crisp drives, towering sixes, and calculated aggression.
The highlight came in the 18th over: on the first ball from Shanaka, Farhan nudged a single to long-off to bring up his hundred off 59 deliveries. The innings featured 9 fours and 5 sixes, clocking a strike rate of around 166.67. He departed soon after for exactly 100 in the 19th over, caught at deep midwicket off Dilshan Madushanka, but not before helping Pakistan post 212/8 — a competitive total boosted by Fakhar’s explosive 84 off 42 balls (9 fours, 4 sixes).
This knock carried even greater significance beyond the immediate contest. Farhan surpassed Virat Kohli’s long-standing record of 319 runs in a single T20 World Cup edition (set in 2014). Entering the game 38 short, he went past the milestone early and finished the innings with his tournament tally at 383 (or more precisely, pushing beyond with this contribution), achieving the feat at a superior strike rate exceeding 158 compared to Kohli’s 129.14. He also stands as the first-most prolific six-hitter in the tournament with 18 maximums.
Farhan’s twin tons join an elite club: only Chris Gayle had previously scored two centuries across T20 World Cup editions. Farhan’s first came earlier in the tournament — an unbeaten 100 off 58 balls against Namibia in Colombo during the group stage. The second, against a full-member side in a do-or-die Super Eight encounter, underscored his evolution into one of Pakistan’s most reliable and destructive openers.
While Pakistan’s lower order suffered a collapse after the openers’ fireworks, the platform set by Farhan and Fakhar gave the bowlers something substantial to defend. The innings provided a silver lining in what has been an inconsistent campaign for the Men in Green, with Farhan emerging as the undisputed star.
In a tournament filled with fireworks — from Pathum Nissanka’s anchoring ton to Harry Brook’s explosive effort and young YS Samra’s historic knock for Canada — Sahibzada Farhan’s double-century feat stands out as a defining individual achievement. As Pakistan chase that elusive semi-final spot, one thing is clear: when Farhan is in this form, the sky is the limit for the Green Shirts.
