Why Pakistan is banking on Sahibzada Farhan to dismantle Jasprit Bumrah: 51 runs, strike rate of 150, three sixes, 0 dismissals

Pakistan’s Sahibzada takes picture with his supporters before the start of the T20 World Cup match against USA in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday. (AP Photo)

Before heading to Colombo for the T20 World Cup, in a response to a question on employing aggression from both ends, Farhan spilled his game plan, which explains why he didn’t hesitate to take on Bumrah. “In international cricket you can’t attack from both ends all the time. But I feel, it is very important to attack their main bowler whosoever it is. If you do that, you will put him under pressure and also the opposition. If I do that it will help other batsmen as well,” Farhan told Pakistan Cricket.

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From 2019 to 2024, Pakistan has witnessed their batsmen crumble against Bumrah. Be it Ahmedabad or New York, Bumrah has cracked opened the game with his artistry similar to how Pakistan’s wondrous seamers had subjected Indian batsmen during their good old days. Hence, Farhan’s success hasn’t gone unnoticed. Last year, despite Pakistan losing the Asia Cup final to India, when Farhan returned to his hometown Charsadda in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, thousands mobbed his car. Some got on top of the car bonnet, some tried to climb atop his sedan and Farhan pleaded with folded hands not to with a smile.

He also has a persona to match his batting. He has that feisty alley-cat persona, to be unfazed by crisis, to stand up in tough times and handle the tough jobs that endears to the public.

Feisty, not fiery

Even on the field, he isn’t a fiery batsman. Though his gunfire celebration against India added to the tension between the two teams and he subsequently received one demerit point, there is more to Farhan than that. For starters, his batting is not complicated. It mostly goes on the lines of ‘see ball, hit ball’ but what stands out is the position he gets under to pull of those.

In the Asia Cup, among the shots that he hit off Bumrah, which included a pull and a cut, one stood out. To the pacer’s stock delivery that comes in with the angle, batsmen often struggle when it comes to deciding whether to go forward or play him from the back. But Farhan, just cleared his front leg and lofted him high over mid-wicket. He got another boundary via same shot. He tried the slower-ball cutter in the final, but got the same treatment.

Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan was named Player of the Match for his cracking 73-run knock vs USA. (PHOTO: AP)

Not the strongest square on the off-side, Farhan prefers to go straight by standing rooted in the crease. Unlike Shahid Afridi, he doesn’t prefer to come down the track. Unlike him, he doesn’t bring cross-batted shots that adds risks. Having to take a high-risk approach, his intention is to rely on his strengths – which is to hit straight and in the mid-wicket region. “In T20s, there is very little to plan. You have to identify your strengths and make the most out of it. In cricket, you will obviously hit the bad deliveries, but our intention in the powerplay is to maximise the field restrictions. You have to keep looking for opportunities and when you get a chance, you have to make full use of it irrespective of the risk involved,” Farhan said.

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This clarity arrives from the hard yards Farhan put in the domestic circuit. In first-class cricket he averages 44.82 with 10 centuries. But it took him some exceptional batting in the domestic T20 tournament and the PSL to get a national call-up again in 2024, a good six years after making his debut.

In practice sessions, Farhan has invariably stood out when it comes to the number of times the support staff shout ‘watch out’ when he sends the ball high and soaring into the Colombo skies. Primarily a middle-order batsman, Farhan has been handed the opening role because of his struggles to rotate the strike.

Having seen his six-hitting capabilities, one of the first things that coach Mike Hesson did when he took charge of the team was to make Farhan open. It has meant, Pakistan have been able to maximise the powerplay with Farhan and his partner Saim Ayub given the license to play with intent. While Ayub still has some distance to cover, Farhan is breathing consistently.

Asked about the prospect of facing Bumrah again, Farhan said: “When you score runs, you’re very confident. I’m confident, too. Come Sunday, this could be a match-up that could well definite the outcome.