Faraz Akram (Urdu: فراز اکرم; born 3 October 1993) is a Zimbabwean cricketer.[1] Akram was born in Saudi Arabia to Pakistani parents, and made his international debut for the Zimbabwe cricket team in November 2020.[2][3]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Mohammad Faraz Akram |
| Born | (1993-10-03) 3 October 1993 (age 28) Jeddah, Saudi Arabia |
| Batting | Left-handed |
| Bowling | Right-arm medium |
| International information | |
| National side |
|
| T20I debut (cap 62) | 10 November 2020 v Pakistan |
| Last T20I | 20 March 2021 v Afghanistan |
| Domestic team information | |
| Years | Team |
| 2017–2018 | Rising Stars |
| 2018–present | Mashonaland Eagles |
Source: Cricinfo, 20 March 2021 | |
Faraz Akram was born on 3 October 1993 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Pakistani parents.[3] Raised in the Middle East and Pakistan, he moved with his family to Zimbabwe in 2000, where his diplomat father worked at the Pakistani embassy.[3] Akram attended Westridge High School in Harare.[3] He became the second Pakistani-origin player to represent Zimbabwe in international cricket, following Sikander Raza.[4]
He made his first-class debut for Rising Stars in the 2017–18 Logan Cup on 4 October 2017.[5] He made his List A debut for Rising Stars in the 2017–18 Pro50 Championship on 17 April 2018.[6] For the 2018–19 season, Akram moved to the Mashonaland Eagles.
In June 2018, he was named in a Board XI team for warm-up fixtures ahead of the 2018 Zimbabwe Tri-Nation Series.[7] In September 2018, he was named in Zimbabwe's squad for the 2018 Africa T20 Cup tournament.[8] He made his Twenty20 debut for Zimbabwe in the 2018 Africa T20 Cup on 14 September 2018.[9]
In October 2020, he was named in Zimbabwe's squad for their tour of Pakistan.[10] He made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut for Zimbabwe, against Pakistan, on 10 November 2020.[11]
In December 2020, he was selected to play for the Eagles in the 2020–21 Logan Cup.[12][13] In May 2021, he was named in Zimbabwe A's squad for their home series against South Africa A.[14]
Akram, who has family roots in Pakistan, was raised in Zimbabwean capital Harare. Zimbabwe star all-rounder Sikander Raza, born in Punjab, is the other player of Pakistani origin in the Southern African team.