PAK vs SL, Super 8: Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman Break All-Time T20 World Cup Partnership Record | Image Source: x/@fpjindia
The Pakistan cricket team is currently locking its horns with Sri Lanka in the ongoing must-win Super 8 clash in Pallekele on Saturday. Openers Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman scripted history as they registered the highest partnership in the history of the men’s T20 World Cup.
In a must-win Super Eight clash, the duo walked out with all guns blazing and gave Pakistan the dream start they needed. Fakhar and Farhan quickly added 64 runs in the Powerplay, putting the Sri Lankan bowlers under-pressure. It was a treat to the eyes to watch the duo slam the Sri Lankan bowlers all around the ground.
Farhan and Zaman added 176 runs for the first wicket, going past the previous best of 175 not out set by Finn Allen and Tim Seifert against the UAE earlier in the 2026 edition.
Their outstanding partnership came to an end in the 16th over of the innings when Dushmantha Chameera bowled Fakhar Zaman for 84, but by then Pakistan were in complete control of the game.
The 176-run stand is now Pakistan’s highest opening partnership in ICC T20 World Cups. It went past the 152-run stand between Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam against India in 2021.
Fakhar Zaman smashed 84 off just 42 balls, hitting 9 fours and 4 sixes at a strike rate of 200 before being dismissed.
Sahibzada Farhan remained unbeaten on 94 from 56 deliveries, striking 8 fours and 5 sixes at a strike rate of over 160, guiding Pakistan into a commanding position.
Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman — 176 runs vs Sri Lanka 2026
Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam — 152 runs vs India 2021
Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal — 142 runs vs Bangladesh 2010
Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam — 113 runs vs Namibia 2021
Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam — 105 runs vs New Zealand in 2022
During his knock, Farhan also broke the record of Indian batting legend Virat Kohli as he became the highest run scorer in a single edition of the T20 World Cup.
323 – Sahibzada Farhan, Pakistan (2026)
*319 – Virat Kohli, India (2014)
317 – Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sri Lanka (2009)
303 – Babar Azam, Pakistan (2021)
302 – Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka (2010)
296 – Virat Kohli, India (2022)
295 – Tamim Iqbal, Bangladesh (2016)
289 – David Warner, Australia (2021)
281 – Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan (2021)
281 – Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Afghanistan (2024)
During the mid-innings break, Fakhar was asked about the total posted by his team. Responding to which, he said, “At the moment, we are really happy. We were looking for 200 and now we’ve got like 212, so so far so good, but we have to bowl well. I knew only yesterday at training (talking about when he got told about opening the batting), so Mike (Hesson) told me that you will open tomorrow, and he said, are you ready? I said, yes, of course, I’m ready for any position. Our game plan was very simple.”
“We were not going at every ball, we were just looking for good cricketing shots and we were thinking that if we have wickets in hand, then we can score big. So that was totally our plan, and with time, after 50 runs, then we thought that we can score more. So that’s it. There was nothing very big in our mind because we knew that if we have wickets in hand, we can do anything. I think it changes with the new ball (Talking about the pitch). It’s not that difficult to play, and as the ball gets older, it’s not that easy. But I personally think that the wicket was not that extraordinarily good for batting. But yeah, I think we scored enough runs and now we have to defend.”
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