In a high-octane arena ICC Men’s T20 World CupWhere strike rates often overshadow substance, a century remains the ultimate testament to a scorer’s prowess. For Pakistan, a nation passionate about its cricket, the list of players who have achieved this feat in the history of the tournament is quite short – just two in nearly two decades.
Pakistan’s century makers in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup
Ahmed Shehzad (2014): Power of the Pioneer
He became the first Pakistani to score a century in a T20 World Cup Ahmed ShahzadOn 30 March 2014, Shehzad remained unbeaten on 111 runs against Bangladesh at Mirpur.
His knock of 10 fours and five sixes took Pakistan to 190 runs. In reply, Bangladesh could only manage 132, giving Pakistan a comprehensive victory. Aged 22 years and 127 days, Shehzad then became the youngest centurion in T20 World Cup history – a record that stood for 12 years until Canada’s Yuvraj Samra broke it in the 2026 edition.
Sahibzade Farhan (2026): New age precision
Fast forward 12 years and Sahibzada Farhan became only the second Pakistani to reach the feat on 18 February 2026 in Pakistan’s final group stage match against Namibia at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.
Farhan’s unbeaten 100 off just 58 deliveries was a masterclass in controlled aggression. Unlike Shehzad’s power-hitting performance, Farhan’s strokes were defined with precision – identifying gaps, swinging the shot effectively and accelerating at perfect moments. His knock was 11 fours and four sixes He restricted Pakistan to 199 for 3 in 20 overs.
It was the context that made Farhan’s achievement particularly special. Coming into the match against Pakistan, the 29-year-old player showed remarkable composure. He reached his half-century in 36 balls before accelerating and completed his maiden T20I century in the final of the innings.
12-year gap: Why so few centuries for Pakistan in T20 World Cups?
A cricketing nation with a rich batting heritage, Pakistan is notable for producing just two T20 World Cup centurions in 19 years. In comparison, only West Indies’ Chris Gayle has scored two centuries in the tournament, while England, New Zealand and South Africa have produced multiple hundreds each.
Several factors explain this anomaly. Pakistan’s batting order favors stability over explosiveness in World Cup matches, with the likes of Babar Azam scoring runs before reaching three figures. Despite being Pakistan’s most consistent T20I batsman in World Cups with 464 runs, Babar is yet to score a century in the tournament – his highest being 70 .
In addition, the pressure of knockout matches and the difficult conditions at World Cups often lead to conservative approaches. The 2024 T20 World Cup, notably, did not see a single century in the entire tournament.
