Sahibzada Farhan

Sahibzada Farhan (Pashto: صاحبزاده فرحان; born 6 March 1996) is a Pakistani international cricketer.^[2] He plays for the national team as a right-handed top order batsman.^[3][4] Farhan represents Peshawar in domestic cricket and Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League.^[5]

Farhan began playing cricket at a young age in his hometown of Charsadda, primarily with tape or tennis balls due to the lack of hard-ball cricket facilities. His formal journey in cricket began after his family moved to Peshawar in 2008, where he joined the Peshawar Gymkhana Club. Although his family relocated for his education, Farhan's passion remained with cricket, and he often trained without full support from his extended family. However, his father recognized his potential and supported his ambitions.

Initially, Farhan trained as a fast bowler but found limited success, participating in only a few matches over two years. He later switched focus to batting after performing impressively in a local match. Encouraged by a friend, he resumed hard-ball cricket as a batsman, quickly gaining attention in local tournaments by scoring successive centuries in a PCB inter-district tournament.

These performances earned him a spot in the Peshawar Under-19 team, despite skepticism from some quarters. Supported by coach Fazl-e-Akbar, Farhan excelled at the Under-19 level. Despite his strong performances, Farhan's first-class debut was delayed until 2016 due to an appendicitis surgery.^[6]

He made his first-class debut for Peshawar in the 2016–17 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy on 1 October 2016.^[7]

He was the leading run-scorer for Balochistan in the 2017 Pakistan Cup, with 331 runs in five matches.^[8]

In April 2018, he was named in Punjab's squad for the 2018 Pakistan Cup.^[9][10] In the opening fixture of the tournament, against Balochistan, he scored 155 runs and was named the man of the match.^[11][12] In March 2019, he was named in Sindh's squad for the 2019 Pakistan Cup.^[13][14]

In September 2019, he was named in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's squad for the 2019–20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy tournament.^[15][16] In January 2021, he was named in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's squad for the 2020–21 Pakistan Cup.^[17][18] He was the leading run-scorer in the 2021–22 National T20 Cup, with 447 runs.^[19] He was named the PCB's Domestic Cricketer of the Year for 2021.^[20]

In December 2023, he was selected to play for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited as the captain, in the 2023–24 President's Trophy.^[21]

In the 2024–25 National T20 Cup, playing the semi-final for Peshawar, he hit 148 off 72 balls against Abbottabad Region and set a new record for the most runs in a single edition of the tournament, scoring 588 runs in just six innings, surpassing his own previous tally of 492 runs in 12 innings from the prior season and matching Fakhar Zaman’s Pakistan record of 588 runs in a single-tournament T20 (achieved over 13 innings in the 2022 PSL.) His highest score, 162 off 72 deliveries against Quetta Region, surpassed the previous record for the highest T20 score by a Pakistan batsman, Kamran Akmal's 150, which stood for eight years.^[22][23] He ended the tournament with 605 runs and was adjudged Player of the Series.

In the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL X), he was a pivotal performer for Islamabad United, scoring 184 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 165.77 and an average of 61.33. His innings included several quickfire contributions at the top of the order, giving United strong starts in the powerplay. It was reported that Farhan’s consistency and attacking approach were central to Islamabad United’s surge in the tournament, with his ability to clear boundaries and rotate strike making him one of the standout domestic players of the season.^[24]

In June 2018, he was named in Pakistan's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for the 2018 Zimbabwe Tri-Nation Series.^[25] He made his T20I debut against Australia in the final of the tournament.^[26]

In December 2018, he was named in Pakistan's team for the 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup.^[27]

In May 2025, upon returning to the national side after nearly six months, he delivered a career-best 74 runs in the second T20I against Bangladesh at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. His performance, featuring aggressive strokeplay and a maiden T20I fifty off just 29 balls, powered Pakistan to a convincing 57-run victory, thereby securing the three-match series with a game to spare. Farhan was named Player of the Match for his innings.^[28]

In August 2025, he played a decisive role in Pakistan’s 3–0 T20I series sweep against the West Indies. Opening the innings alongside Saim Ayub, Farhan struck a fluent 63 runs off 41 balls in the third T20I, helping Pakistan chase down the target with ease. His partnership with Ayub provided Pakistan a strong platform, and both batters were highlighted by the media as the standout performers of the series. The win sealed Pakistan’s clean sweep, with Farhan earning praise for translating his prolific domestic form into a match-winning international performance.^[29][30]

In September 2025, during the 2025 Asia Cup, Farhan hit two sixes off Jasprit Bumrah, India's prime bowler, reportedly the first sixes by a Pakistan batter off Bumrah in ~400 balls across formats.^[31] For the second match against India during the Asia Cup, Farhan scored 58 (45) with 3 sixes in a losing cause, and in the process, surpassed Abhishek Sharma’s mark for most T20 sixes in a calendar year by an Asian batter (Farhan's 88 in 2025 with 34 innings, Abhishek's 87 in 2024 with 38 innings).^[32] During the final of the Asia Cup, in his third match against India, he was the top-scorer for his side with 57 (38), again in a losing cause.

In November 2025, in the third match of the T20I Tri-Nation Series against Sri Lanka, Farhan hit an unbeaten 80* off 45 deliveries in a winning run-chase, including five sixes, described as the only fluent batsman on a pitch described as difficult for batting. It was also his highest T20I score.^[33] With 102 sixes, he became the first Pakistani, and 12th batsman overall, to hit 100 T20 sixes in a calendar year.^[34]

Opening the batting for Pakistan in the 4th T20I of the Tri-Series on November 23, 2025, Sahibzada Farhan demonstrated his excellent form by striking a rapid half-century against Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi. After the early loss of Saim Ayub, Farhan anchored the innings alongside captain Babar Azam, establishing a vital second-wicket stand worth 103 runs. Farhan quickly reached his seventh T20I fifty, needing only 35 balls for the milestone. He was eventually removed by Sikandar Raza, having scored a dynamic 63 runs from 41 balls. His knock, which featured four boundaries and three sixes, was instrumental in setting up Pakistan's dominant final score of 195/5, leading to a 69-run win and qualification for the series final.^[35]

Following the match against India at the 2025 Asia Cup on 14 September, Farhan was criticized by the Indian media for a celebration they described as "AK-47-style" after he reached his half-century. Farhan defended it, saying that the gesture was spontaneous and not pre-planned, and that he did not mind how it was interpreted.^[36][37]

Following disciplinary hearings conducted by members of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, Farhan was found guilty of breaching Article 2.21 (conduct that brings the game into disrepute) and was issued an official warning along with one demerit point.^[38]

• Sahibzada Farhan at ESPNcricinfo