Pakistan's swashbuckling opener Fakhar Zaman rings his 30th birthday on Friday (April 10, 2020). Hailing from Mardan, the southpaw is a hard-hitting batsman who likes to attack the bowlers from the outset. He burst onto the scenes during the 2017 Champions Trophy where he played several match-defining knocks and played a crucial tole in guiding his side to the title. Since then, the left-handed opener became a cornerstone of Pakistan's batting line-up in white-ball cricket. Zaman has played many match-defining knocks in his impressive career. Below, we'll look at some of them. Shoaib Akhtar Proposes India vs Pakistan ODI Series to Raise Funds for Fight Against COVID-19 Pandemic.

Speaking of his numbers in international cricket, the left-handed batsman has scored 1958 runs from 46 ODIs which comprises four centuries. In T20Is, Zaman has 756 runs from 34 games. He also represented Pakistan in three Test matches in which he accumulated 192 runs. These numbers are certainly impressive at any standards. However, what statistic don't showcase is the impact of these performances in the game. Nevertheless, we'll revisit the times when Zaman's storm blew the opposition away.

114 Against India in London

Zaman was mere three ODIs old when India met Pakistan in the 2017 Champions Trophy Final. The southpaw got a lifeline early in the innings as Jasprit Bumrah dismissed his but off a no-ball. Well, that fault proved to be very costly for the Men in Blue as Zaman rained boundaries and sixes in order to register a magnificent ton. His efforts guided Pakistan to a mammoth score of 338 runs in the first innings. In reply, Virat Kohli and Co were dismissed for 158 and lost the game by 180 runs.

91 Against Australia in Harare

Another high-stakes encounter where Zaman came good was the final clash of the 2018 T20I tri-series. Chasing a target of 184 rune, Sahibzada Farhan and Hussain Talat were dismissed for ducks and the Men in Green were on backfoot. However, Zaman came to side's rescue by playing a scintillating knock. He went after the bowlers and gathered run at a rapid pace. Momentum was shifted towards Pakistan in no time. Zaman looked all set to notch up his maiden T20I ton but fell prey to Jhye Richardson at 91. Nevertheless, riding on his stellar knock, the Sarfaraz Ahmed-led side won that game by six wickets.

94 Against Australia in Abu Dhabi

Known for his blitzes in limited-overs cricket, Zaman also played a match-winning knock during the 2nd Test of 2018 Test series against Australia. Batting first, Pakistan's top-order collapsed and they were reeling at 4/57. However, the southpaw joint forces with skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed and guided his side to rescue. He scored 94 runs in total and helped his side post 282 runs in the first innings. In Pakistan's second innings, the opener again scored 66 runs. His efforts proved to be fruitful as Pakistan won the game by 373 runs.

210* Against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo

History was scripted during the 4th ODI of Pakistan's 2018 Tour of Zimbabwe. Zaman was enjoying run in the series. However, what he did in this encounter was certainly not on cards. He unleashed an absolute carnage and made a mockery of Zimbabwe bowling line-up. Zaman also became the Pakistani batsman to score a double century in ODIs. Courtesy his efforts, the visitors registered 399 runs in the first innings and later won the match by 244 runs.

The star opener was last seen in during the 2020 edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) where he played for Lahore Qalandars. However, just like many other sporting events around the world, the gala T20 tournament was also called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, with the ICC T20 World Cup 2020 scheduled to be played later this year, Zaman's form will be critical to his side's success.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 10, 2020 09:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).