Ahmed Shehzad lauds Sahibzada Farhan for stellar comeback

KARACHI: Pakistan Test cricketer Ahmed Shehzad heaped praise on returning opener Sahibzada Farhan for scoring a blistering half-century in the second T20I of the three-match series against Bangladesh, underway here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday.

Farhan, who made his T20I debut for Pakistan in 2018, featured in two more matches that year before being dropped from the national side.

He returned to the T20I side after a gap of more than five years when Pakistan toured Australia in January 2024 under left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi’s captaincy.

Farhan, however, could feature in two matches in the five-match series and was dismissed for meagre scores of one and 19, respectively.

His failure in two matches resulted in him getting dropped from the national team and did not return until November of that year when Pakistan made white-ball tours to Australia and Zimbabwe, respectively.

He was not selected for Pakistan’s most recent T20I series when they toured New Zealand for five matches in March this year.

However, his consistent performances in the domestic circuit besides leading the run-scoring chart in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10, paved the way for his yet another return to the national team.

Playing his first T20I after six months, Farhan capitalised on the opportunity and registered his maiden half-century.

The top-order batter remained the top-scorer for Pakistan in the ongoing fixture with a 41-ball 74, studded with 10 boundaries, including six sixes.

His blistering knock caught the attention of Ahmed Shehzad, who lavished praise on the 29-year-old, stating ‘sky is the limit’.

“So happy to [see] Sahibzada Farhan getting the opportunity for Pakistan [and] he making it count,” wrote Shehzad on X, formerly Twitter.

“Fantastic start for him. What an inning. What a player. Sky is the limit.”