MULTAN: Fakhar Zaman provided the opening-day highlight of the National Champions Cup 2026-27 on Tuesday, smashing his 20th List A century as PCB Greens chased down PCB Whites’ 277-run target with an over to spare at Multan Cricket Stadium.
The left-handed opener struck 123 off 104 balls, hitting 18 fours and two sixes to anchor the successful chase. He reached his century in 76 deliveries, recording the second-fastest List A hundred of his career and becoming the sixth Pakistani batter to score at least 20 centuries in the format.
Fakhar now joins Babar Azam, Khurram Manzoor, Saeed Anwar, Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal in the exclusive group. Babar leads Pakistan’s List A century tally with 31, followed by Manzoor with 27, Anwar with 26, Butt with 24 and Akmal with 21.
Greens made a strong start in the chase as Fakhar and Sameer Minhas added 90 for the opening wicket. Minhas scored 24 before Khushdil Shah broke the partnership.
Read More: Fakhar Zaman opens up about retirement plans from T20I
Fakhar maintained the momentum alongside Omair bin Yousuf, who contributed 24 in a 67-run second-wicket stand. Fakhar reached his half-century from 39 balls and brought up his hundred with a boundary and a double off Ali Raza in the 21st over.
Shahnawaz Dahani eventually ended Fakhar’s innings in the 29th over, but Greens remained firmly in control at 181-3.
Farhan Yousuf added 38 on debut to keep the chase moving, while Saad Baig scored 22. Captain Shadab Khan then guided the side to victory with an unbeaten 34, with Faheem Ashraf finishing on 11 not out.
Greens reached 277-5 in 49 overs, completing a five-wicket win with six deliveries remaining.
Earlier, Whites posted 276-8 after being sent in to bat. Shahzaib Khan led their scoring with 76 off 88 balls, hitting seven boundaries, and shared a 78-run partnership with Usman Khan, who made 34.
After early dismissals, the middle order steadied the innings. Hasan Nawaz scored 56 and Khushdil Shah made 51, combining for a 77-run fifth-wicket partnership that took Whites beyond 200.
Greens’ bowlers tightened the pressure toward the end, taking four wickets for 35 runs during the final stages and restricting Whites to 276-8.
Naseem Shah was the leading wicket-taker for Greens with 3-46, while Faheem Ashraf and Saad Masood claimed two wickets each.
Summarized scores: PCB Whites 276-8 in 50 overs (Shahzaib Khan 76, Hasan Nawaz 56, Khushdil Shah 51; Naseem Shah 3-46, Faheem Ashraf 2-35); PCB Greens 277-5 in 49 overs (Fakhar Zaman 123, Farhan Yousuf 38, Shadab Khan 34 not out).
Result: PCB Greens won by five wickets. Player of the Match: Fakhar Zaman.
