Imam breaks world record

Imamul Haq proved all his doubters wrong with a brilliant and scintillating 151 in Bristol on Tuesday. He is now the fastest batsman to score six one-day international (ODI) centuries in terms of innings.

This record was previously held by Sri Lankan batsman Upul Tharanga, who accomplished the feat in 29 innings, while Imam took 27 innings to achieve the landmark.

Imam has had many ups and downs in his nascent career. He has scored prolifically for Pakistan and has yet come under criticism, primarily for being a relative of Chief Selector Inzamamul Haq.

His stats so far however present a completely different story. The left-handed batsman has scored more than 1000 runs at a phenomenal average of 55.90.

The numbers show a batsman hungry to score runs against all oppositions. He opens for a famously fragile line-up, which puts added pressure on the young batsman.

Pakistan’s lack of power hitters, to capitalise on a good start, is another big hurdle that Imam has to contend with.

The true mark of a player is his performance under pressure. Imam has started his career under the sort of scrutiny that has been the demise of many great players. Even with the odds stacked against him, Imam has continued to bat in a way that can make his fans proud.