50 off 13 balls: Pakistan youngster without PSL contract breaks national record in domestic T20 tournament

Playing for Bahawalpur against Hyderabad, Akram opened the batting in a 112-run chase and scored a 15-ball 50. His 77-run opening partnership off 29 deliveries with Mohammad Sudais helped them get over the line in just 9.3 overs at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

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Hyderabad batted first, but their innings never picked up steam as they lost wickets at regular intervals. They lost both their openers by the fourth over with just six runs on the board, and were reeling at 16-4 after powerplay.

Captain Rizwan Mehmood’s 51-ball 56, which included a 39-run stand for the sixth wicket with Daniyal Hussain and a 30-run partnership with Jawad Ali for the seventh wicket, ensured the team weren’t bowled out and got into three figures to finish at 111-8.

Mohammad Akram breaks Imran Nazir's national record with 13-ball fifty

The chase was all about Akram, who started with a single in the first over before sending Mustafa Nasir for four boundaries and a maximum in the second over. He then slammed three sixes and a four off Mohammad Hasnain before completing his fifty off just 13 balls with a boundary and a single in the fourth over, bowled by Noman Ali.

He was dismissed by Shehryar Baloch, but he had done enough for his side to get over the line easily eventually. The wicketkeeper-batter’s knock featured two dot balls, two singles, six fours and four sixes as he hit the fastest fifty by a Pakistani in T20 cricket. The 24-year-old Akram, however, went unsold at the PSL auction earlier this month.

His half-century off 13 balls is the fastest by a Pakistani batter in T20 cricket, breaking Imran Nazir's record of 14. It is also the joint-seventh fastest ever. Dipendra Singh Airee's nine-ball effort remains the world record.

Fastest T20 fifties by a Pakistani batter, full list