Fakhar Zaman is a Pakistani professional cricketer who has represented his country primarily in the limited-overs versions of the sport (ODIs and T20Is), as an opening batsman. He was an integral member of the Pakistani squad that won the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, the first time that Pakistan had achieved the feat. Incredibly, Fakhar had made his ODI debut in Pakistan’s 2nd match of the tournament and 3 games later, he had been adjudged the ‘Player of the Match’ in the final of the tournament. Besides ODIs and T20Is, between October 2018 and January 2019, he had also played 3 test matches for Pakistan. In the Pakistani domestic circuit, he has played for the regional/state teams Karachi (2012–2015), Peshawar (2016), Balochistan (2017), and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (2019/20–Present) across all 3 formats.
Born Name
Fakhar Zaman
Nick Name
Fauji
Fakhar Zaman as seen in an Instagram Post in July 2020 (Fakhar Zaman / Instagram)
Sun Sign
Aries
Born Place
Katlang, Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Residence
Pakistan
Nationality
Education
Fakhar had completed his matriculation at the age of 16 after which he had moved to Pakistan’s financial capital, Karachi. There, he had completed further schooling and training at sea from the Pakistan Navy School.
Occupation
Professional Cricketer
Fakhar Zaman as seen in an Instagram Post in February 2021 (Fakhar Zaman / Instagram)
Family
Father – Faqir Gul
Siblings – Asif Zaman (Brother)
Batting
Left-Handed
Bowling
Slow Left-Arm Orthodox
Role
Opening Batsman
Jersey Number
39 – One Day International (ODI), T20 International (T20I), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Pakistani Domestic Cricket), Glamorgan County Cricket Club (English Domestic Cricket), Lahore Qalandars (PSL)
Build
Athletic
Height
5 ft 11 in or 180.5 cm
Weight
74 kg or 163 lbs
Fakhar Zaman as seen in an Instagram Post in January 2020 (Fakhar Zaman / Instagram)
Race / Ethnicity
Asian
He is of Pashtun descent.
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
Toned physique
Short-cropped, side-parted hair
Often sports a light stubble
Religion
Islam
Fakhar Zaman as seen in an Instagram Post in March 2020 (Fakhar Zaman / Instagram)
Fakhar Zaman Facts
Fakhar literally translates to ‘pride’ in Urdu.
In 2007, after completing his training from the Pakistan Navy School, he had joined the Pakistan Navy as a sailor. This was largely a decision forced upon him by his father who was upset with Fakhar’s cricket addiction and had wished that his son would focus more on academics.
In 2012, he had represented the Pakistani Navy in the International Defence Cricket Challenge Cup in Australia and was adjudged the ‘Player of the Tournament’ after which he began to have second thoughts about his naval career.
By 2013, he had left his job and started playing cricket for local and regional teams in Pakistan. His background had earned him the nickname of ‘Fauji’ (soldier) from his cricketing teammates. In 2020, the Pakistani Navy had awarded him an honorary rank of ‘Lieutenant’ in recognition of his contribution to cricket.
In July 2018, he became the first Pakistani batsman to have scored a double hundred in an ODI match. The same month, he had become the then-fastest batsman to reach the milestone of 1,000 runs in ODIs.
In April 2021, in a match against South Africa, he had scored 193 runs which had made him the highest individual run scorer while chasing in an ODI match.
A rare occurrence in modern cricket, Fakhar has also played domestic cricket outside of his home country representing Glamorgan County Cricket Club (2019) in England.
In franchise-based T20 leagues, he has turned out for Lahore Qalandars (2017–2021) in the PSL (Pakistan Super League) and Comilla Victorians (2017) in the BPL (Bangladesh Premier League).
Fakhar was ruled out of the T20I World Cup 2022 due to a knee injury. Shan Masood was included in the team as his replacement.
For his remarkable innings against New Zealand in the ODI World Cup 2023, in which she scored 126* in 81 balls, he was rewarded with PKR 1 million by PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board). Pakistan had won that match by 21 runs (DLS method).
