Maaz Sadaqat etched his name into the history books after becoming the first Pakistani cricketer to score a century in the final of a franchise T20 tournament. The young batter produced a sensational 114 off 58 balls for Jamaica Kingsmen against Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2026 final.
Maaz Sadaqat’s remarkable innings came after he had already scored a century in the Eliminator and capped a stunning CPL campaign with another three-figure knock in the title clash. Despite Jamaica Kingsmen posting 170/9, Antigua and Barbuda Falcons chased down the target with eight wickets and 20 balls to spare, but Sadaqat’s individual achievement made the final a memorable one for the Pakistan batter.
Maaz Sadaqat becomes first Pakistan cricketer to score century in T20 final
Maaz Sadaqat’s 114 off 58 balls, including eight fours and nine sixes, made him the first Pakistani batter to score a century in the final of a franchise T20 tournament. Yasir Khan also has a century in a final, but his hundred came in the domestic Champions Cup.
The Jamaica Kingsmen batter had an outstanding CPL 2026 campaign. He finished with 363 runs from seven matches at an average of 60.50 and a strike rate of 174.52.
His two centuries included a 112 off 49 balls in the Eliminator before he followed it up with another hundred in the final.
Maaz Sadaqat registers highest ever CPL final score
Maaz Sadaqat’s 114 also took him to the top of the list for the highest individual score in a CPL final. He moved past Lendl Simmons’ unbeaten 84 from 49 balls in 2020 and Brandon King’s unbeaten 83 off 50 balls in 2023.
His score was also the sixth-highest individual score in the final of a franchise T20 tournament. Chris Gayle holds the record with an unbeaten 146 in the 2017 Bangladesh Premier League final, followed by Tamim Iqbal’s unbeaten 141 in the 2019 BPL final.
The performance continued what has been an impressive year for Sadaqat across franchise cricket. His combined numbers for Kingsmen franchise in the PSL and CPL stand at 653 runs from 19 innings, with two hundreds, two fifties and 39 sixes at a strike rate of 176.
Interestingly, Maaz Sadaqat’s rise comes after a controversial period around the PSL 2026 retention window. Peshawar Zalmi boss Javed Afridi had mocked the batter over his demand for a salary hike, while the franchise later denied the claim. Kingsmen eventually matched Sadaqat’s asking price.
Most importantly, the management supported me – Maaz Sadaqat
After his stunning century in the CPL final, Sadaqat credited the Jamaica Kingsmen management for giving him the freedom to play according to his natural style. He also explained how he handled the pressure after wickets fell around him.
“Most importantly, the management supported me and gave me a free hand to play my natural game. That is the way I naturally play, so I followed it and the result is in front of you. [Watching wickets falling] At that time, a person does feel some pressure, but I believed in myself that I could do it.
‘I followed my natural game and I succeeded. [On the conditions and overall environment] The environment and everything else have been very good because this is my first time playing in the CPL. It’s a very good environment. The wicket was quite difficult at the beginning, but in the last two matches we’ve had very good wickets, and I’ve really enjoyed it.”
Saim Ayub also praised Sadaqat’s performance and described the century as an exceptional achievement for both the batter and the team.
“[On Sadaqat’s ton] Well, I think it’s the best a batsman can want and a team can want from a player. So yeah, it’s the best week. Like what we can say, it’s like priceless.”
Source: cricketaddictor.com
