'I haven’t reached my full rhythm yet,' says Fakhar Zaman

Lahore Qalandars' opening batter, Fakhar Zaman, believes he is still short of his best, despite notching up consecutive match-winning half-centuries in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10.

The explosive left-handed batter smashed a powerful 76 off 47 balls against Karachi Kings, following up on his 67-run knock against Quetta Gladiators.

His latest innings, laced with six boundaries and five sixes, helped the Qalandars secure a dominant win and earned him the Player of the Match award for the second game in a row.

However, the left-handed batter remains modest about his form.

“In the last match, I said I didn’t play in full flow. If I repeat that today, it might sound ungrateful, but I still feel I haven’t reached my full rhythm yet,” he shared during the post-match presentation.

Returning from injury, Fakhar emphasised the importance of understanding conditions and building crucial partnerships at the top of the order.

“As an opener, when someone contributes at the top, it gives the team a better chance of winning. We thought 170 would be a good total, but full credit to our bowlers for restricting them,” he noted. 

“The ball wasn’t coming on easily, so our plan was to build a solid partnership and keep wickets in hand for a final push,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention that the 35-year-old boasts immense experience in the 20-over format, and he is currently the second-highest run scorer in PSL history.

In 87 matches, he has scored 2,669 runs at an average of 31.03 and a strike rate of 141.06, which includes 21 fifties and two centuries.

He still holds the record for scoring the highest number of runs in a single PSL edition, having scored 588 runs in 13 matches during the seventh edition, at an average of 45.23 and a strike rate of 152.72, which included seven fifties and one century.