Pakistan T20I batter Abdul Samad hit an unbeaten 50 off just 10 balls in a Hong Kong Sixes match against South Africa on Saturday (November 8).
Abdul Samad hits 10-ball fifty
Pakistan qualified for the quarter-finals of the Hong Kong Sixes after a loss against India and a win against Kuwait. Their superior net run rate compared to India took them into the knockouts where they faced South Africa in the second quarter-final.
Pakistan put South Africa in to bat after winning the toss and conceded 102-3, with Jorich Van Schalwyk top-scoring with a 13-ball 40. Muhammad Shahzad was Pakistan's best bowler, taking 3-11 in his only over. Samad, meanwhile, conceded 25 runs in an over, but more than made up for it with his batting.
Also read: A history of the Hong Kong Sixes: Cricket's pocket-sized World Cup which foreshadowed the T20 age
Coming out to open alongside Khawaja Nafay, Samad hit the first three legal balls of the innings for sixes off Abdullah Bayoumy. Nafay added one to the tally in the first over to take them to 30-0. Samad then had to wait at the non-striker's end for exactly two overs as Nafay (36 off 13), and captain Abbas Afridi took Pakistan to 75-1 in three.
When he finally got the chance, Samad smashed five straight sixes, reaching his half-century off just 10 balls as well as finishing off the run-chase in 3.5 overs to take Pakistan to the semi-final.
Also check: Hong Kong Sixes 2025, where to watch live: TV channels and live streaming
Who is Abdul Samad?
Samad is a 27-year-old batter who has represented Pakistan in five T20Is so far. He made his debut earlier this year in the series against New Zealand, scoring 66 runs at an average of 13.50 and a strike rate of 113.79. He was selected for the Pakistan T20I side before having made his PSL debut, which eventually happened following the New Zealand series.
Also read: Pakistan newbie smashes 56-ball 100, rescues Shaheens with solo effort in Top End T20
Samad played five games for Peshawar Zalmi in PSL 2025, for whom he made 61 runs at a strike rate of 190.62. His overall T20 career strike rate stands at 144.48, but he is yet to score a half-century in the format (highest score of 47) and has an underwhelming average of 17.47.
His first-class numbers aren't promising either - average of 12.42 after 14 matches - but List A cricket is where he has done the best so far, having scored 948 runs in 31 matches at an average and strike rate of 35.11 and 80.40 respectively.
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