Tayyab Arif becomes second Pakistan debutant with this Test record
What's the story
Pakistan were off to a start in the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Debutant Tayyab Arif scored a fiery half-century while opening the innings before departing for 57. Alongside Azan Awais, who made 30, Arif gave a hard time to Sri Lanka's new-ball bowlers. The duo added 86 runs before the opening partnership ended. Here we look at Arif's splendid knock and stats.
Knock
Arif powers Pakistan
Pakistan were off to a fine start as Arif showcased no signs of nervousness on debut.
He attacked new-ball pacers Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka and found a flurry of boundaries with the new ball.
Arif took just 46 balls to complete his fifty as Pakistan completed 100 runs in just 20.1 overs.
Milan Rathnayake eventually brought an end to his stay.
Stats
Arif joins Razaullah on this list
Arif made 57 off 51 balls with the help of nine fours and a six.
As per Cricinfo, his strike rate of 111.76 made him just the second Pakistan batter to score 50 or more runs on debut while striking over 100.
He has joined Razaullah, who made 81 at a strike rate of 128.57 in the Birmingham affair versus England last month.
No other Pakistan opener strikes at 80-plus in this regard.
Information
Here are his FC stats
The 20-year-old Arif is fairly new to red-ball cricket. Playing his eighth First-Class match, he has raced to 784 runs at an average of 60-plus. His strike rate is also around 89. The tally now includes three tons and nine fifties.