"King of attacking cricket" - Fans erupt as Fakhar Zaman hits spectacular ton in 1st PAK vs NZ ODI

Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman shone with the bat in the team's ODI series opener against New Zealand at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on Thursday, April 27. The hosts needed to chase a stiff target of 289 in the encounter. The side got off to an impressive start as Fakhar and Imam-ul-Haq orchestrated a brilliant 124-run stand.

Imam departed after scoring 60 runs, but Fakhar carried on and went on to hit a wonderful century, his ninth in ODI cricket. The left-handed batter was instrumental in the Men in Green securing a 5-wicket win, scoring 117 runs off 114 balls.

Several Pakistani fans took to social media, applauding the senior batter for his fantastic performance.

Here are some of the best reactions on Twitter:

Notably, Pakistan won the toss and chose to field first against New Zealand in the first ODI of the five-match series. The visitors finished at 288/7 after 50 overs, thanks to Daryll Mitchell's splendid 113-run knock and Will Young's score of 86.

Naseem Shah delivered a sensational spell in the contest. The speedster conceded just 29 runs from his full quota of 10 overs while bagging two wickets.

Pakistan chased down the total comfortably in the 49th over. Apart from the openers, Babar Azam (49) and Mohammad Rizwan (42*) also chipped in with valuable contributions with the bat.

It is worth mentioning that with this victory, Pakistan became only the third team, after India and Australia, to complete 500 wins in men's ODIs.

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"The way Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam are performing, I don't even come close to them"- Fakhar Zaman

During a post-match interview, Fakhar Zaman was asked if he should open the batting for Pakistan in T20 cricket in place of Mohammad Rizwan or Babar Azam.

Responding to the question, Fakhar Zaman noted that both Babar and Rizwan have done better than him in the format and they should be the preferred openers for the team, remarking:

"Yes, I can open the innings if I play better than Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam. But the way Rizwan and Babar are performing, I don't even come close to them. They should continue to open for Pakistan in T20Is."

Fakhar struggled to get going in Pakistan's recently concluded five-match T20I series against New Zealand, amassing 64 runs from three innings. Rizwan and Babar, on the other hand, played four innings each and finished with 162 and 130 runs, respectively.