Young Pakistani batsman Muhammad Shahad achieved a remarkable feat in the Presidents Trophy Grade-1 match that will be remembered for a long time. In the game held at Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad, Shahad, playing for Pakistan Television against Hyderabad Kingsmen Academy, scored one hundred runs in just 49 balls.
Thanks to this achievement, Muhammad Shahad became the fastest player in Pakistan's history to score a century in first-class cricket. He surpassed the 12-year record of former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq. Misbah-ul-Haq reached a hundred in 56 balls in a match against Australia in Abu Dhabi in 2014, while in that match he tied Viv Richards' record for the fastest Test century. Later, Brandon McCullum set a new record in Test cricket, scoring a hundred in 54 balls against Australia in 2016. Now, Shahad has overtaken Misbah-ul-Haq's record by seven balls, setting a new national record for Pakistan.
Scoring 114 runs off 62 balls
When Muhammad Shahad came onto the field at number five, he faced a serious challenge. The Pakistan Television team had lost three batsmen and only had 34 runs in the first innings. In such a situation, Shahad rejected defensive play and adopted an aggressive approach, quickly changing the course of the match. He launched a powerful attack, scoring 114 runs in just 62 balls. In this innings, he hit 12 fours and 8 sixes. Shahad also formed a partnership with Muhammad Tahir, scoring a combined 143 runs. Tahir contributed 43 runs off 72 balls.
Muhammad Haajad finished the innings, but by then, he had already pulled his team out of a difficult situation. The 22-year-old Shahad was previously part of the Pakistan U-16 and U-19 teams. He also represented Pakistan in the U-19 World Cup held in South Africa. However, in this tournament, he managed to play in only two matches, scoring 27 runs. After that, he switched to the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Muhammad Shahad participated in PSL teams Multan Sultans and Islamabad United. His debut in the PSL was in 2025 for Islamabad United, but then he could only score 24 runs in four matches, with his best score being 24 runs. Nevertheless, in the current National T20 Cup, he demonstrated his form by scoring two fifties for Multan Region.
Muhammad Shahad's statistics in domestic cricket show his consistent form. In 36 innings out of 21 first-class matches, he scored 1507 runs, including 6 centuries and 6 half-centuries. In List-A cricket, Shahad scored 563 runs in 22 matches, making four half-centuries; however, he still needs to score his first century in this format. In T20 cricket, he scored 434 runs in 21 out of 26 matches. Shahad is also capable of contributing with bowling. In first-class cricket, he took 27 wickets, while in List-A and T20, he has registered 5 and 4 wickets, respectively.