Pakistan Navy awards cricketer Fakhar Zaman honorary rank of lieutenant

ISLAMABAD:  The  Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi on Monday conferred renowned cricketer Fakhar Zaman the rank of Honorary Lieutenant in Pakistan Navy. A special epaulette award ceremony was held at Naval Headquarters to mark the event.

Fakhar Zaman is a former Pakistan Navy serviceman. He joined the Pakistan Navy in 2007 as a sailor in the operations branch. During his early years in service, his excellent cricketing talent was spotted and he represented the Pakistan Navy in many tournaments. 

His performance in the game remained exceptional and he earned numerous laurels for the Pakistan Navy. He made his international debut in cricket in 2012 while he was still serving the Pakistan Navy. 

He participated in the International Defence Cricket Challenge Cup 2012 held in Australia and was declared the "Best Player" of the tournament. His cricketing skills were recognised and he was rewarded with a Sanad-e-Tahseen award by the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC).

Pakistan Navy observed Fakhar Zaman's profound cricket skills and extraordinary talent and graciously provided him with the opportunity to continue his career in cricket and join the Pakistan National Cricket squad. 

During the course of time, his major achievements in cricket include a match-winning century against India in the final of ICC Champions Trophy in 2017, in which he was declared the “Man of the Match”. 

Besides, he had scored 1000 fastest runs in just 18 ODI matches in the year 2018. He became the first Pakistani to score a double century in a One-day International Match and had a record opening partnership of 304 runs in 2018. Fakhar Zaman made the World record by scoring 512 runs in five consecutive ODI series. In National T-20 Tournament 2020, he was declared "Best Player & Batsman."

Earlier, Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi in his address congratulated Honourary Lieutenant Fakhar Zaman for his remarkable achievements for Pakistan in the field of cricket. 

He underscored that the Pakistan Navy has been supporting various sports including squash, sailing, hockey, and football,  and has produced a number of professional players who represented Pakistan and earned laurels for the country. 

He highlighted that the Pakistan Navy will continue its patronage for the sports culture at both national and international level.

The epaulette award ceremony was attended by military members, civilians, and dignitaries from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Besides, many former cricketers and their families also attended the ceremony.