SA vs Pak: Hafeez becomes second Pakistan cricketer to play 100 T20Is
Apr 10, 2021
Johannesburg [South Africa], April 10 : Mohammad Hafeez on Saturday added another feather to his illustrious cap as he became the second Pakistan cricketer and sixth overall to play 100 T20Is.
Hafeez achieved the feat in the first T20I against South Africa when he stepped onto the field as the Proteas won the toss and opted to bat first at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Hafeez, 40, joined the exclusive club of Shoaib Malik (116), Rohit Sharma (111), Martin Guptill, Eoin Morgan, and Ross Taylor (102) who have appeared in 100 or more T20Is since the inception of the shortest format of the game in February 2005.
Hafeez featured in Pakistan's first-ever T20I in August 2006 in Bristol and scored 46 in Pakistan's five-wicket victory over England.
Interestingly, Hafeez's 50th appearance was also at the Wanderers Stadium against South Africa in November 2013 when he as captain took two for 25 and scored 13 not out as the hosts beat Pakistan by four runs in a rain-shortened match.
If he scores at least 13 runs in Saturday's game, Hafeez will leapfrog Shoaib as Pakistan's leading run-scorer in T20Is. Shoaib has to date scored 2,335 runs in 116 T20Is, while Hafeez is sixth on the list with 2,323 runs in 99 matches.
Hafeez has represented Pakistan in five of the six ICC T20 World Cups since 2007 but missed the 2009 campaign in England, which Pakistan won under Younis Khan at Lord's.
Pakistan will be looking to carry the momentum of the ODI series win and make a winning start in the four-match series.
Pakistan XI: Mohammad Rizwan, B Azam, F Zaman, M Hafeez, H Ali, M Nawaz, F Ashraf, H Ali, S Afridi, U Qadir, H Rauf
South Africa XI: A Markram, J Malan, H Klaasen, P van Biljon, W Lubbe, G Linde, A Phehlukwayo, S Magala, B Hendricks, L Williams, T Shamsi
