The National T20 Cup 2021 has ended with bangs in Rawalpindi, Gadaffi Stadiums respectively with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa grasping their second consecutive trophy of Pakistan's most celebrated domestic event.
Despite KPK lifting up the cup under Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed's leadership respectively, a number of notable records have been enrolled. Here is a quick statical review of the NT20.
Iftikhar Ahmed's thrilling runs:
Undeniably, Iftikhar's batting has been phenomenal throughout the tournament. After he was assigned Rizwan's duties, he has led from the front with magnificent hits contributing to the team's accomplishments.
Being a player of the tournament and final has been something that every player dreams for - it has spun out true for Iftikhar. The all-rounder scored 45* off 19 balls and grasped three wickets in the final versus Central Punjab. He has finished the competition with 409 runs and eight wickets at an economy of 5.57 (the best by someone who bowled at least 10 overs in the tournament).
His smashing innings include 24 sixes - the most by any player in NT20 2021. The most impressive and ironic aspect of Iftikhar's journey is his average of 102.25. Only Salman Butt has a better average than him (109.33) in the 2017 edition.
Babar Azam's milestones:
Central Punjab's delight, although led and played in the team's six games but turned out to be embossed with the bat. Babar and other participants, named for the big event, had to leave for the national duties as the ICC T20 is just around the corner. Hence, the leading duties were assigned to other players from the teams for the last few games.
He scored 286 runs at an average of 71.50. During his regime in NT20 2021, Babar achieved a milestone of scoring 7000 T20 runs being the quickest to achieve the feat. The 27-year-old has broken the record of Chris Gayle who surpassed 7000 T20 runs in 192 innings as Babar reached the achievement in his 187th inning.
Moreover, playing an unbeaten blow for CEP of 105 off 63 balls, he became the only batter from Pakistan to tally six centuries in the format. Like this, he has broken the records of Ahmed Shehzad and Kamran Akmal who have 5 centuries in T20 cricket.
KPK 2nd consecutive trophy:
Last NT20, the black-grey jerseys lifted the tournament's trophy under Rizwan. This year's title could have been under him as well but as mentioned, the wicket-keeping batter, had to leave NT20 in between amidst his national commitments. The duties were assigned to Iftikhar Ahmed who contributed to the legacy.
Wahab Riaz's prolific bowling:
Wahab Riaz, who captained CEP after Babar departed, became the most productive bowler of the tournament. Picking 12 wickets at an economy of 6.54, he surpassed Saeed Ajmal’s record of 89 wickets to become the highest wicket-taker in the tournament’s history. Wahab now enjoys 93 wickets at an average of 22.96 and an economy of 6.81.
Sahibzada Farhan's latest record:
Sahibzada Farhan, unquestionably, has played a crucial role in his team's victory and magnificence throughout the contest. With the assistance of his thrashing knocks, he has become the highest run-getter of the event. Scoring 447 runs, he has beaten the prior record of Kamran Akmal to score most runs in a single edition of the NT20.
During the event, he has hurled three 50s including the one versus Northern in Semi-final. The calendar year has been productive for Farhan. He also scored three centuries during Pakistan Cup at the start of 2021.
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Babar to kick off the T20 World Cup campaign by defeating India
