Faheem Ashraf: History-Maker, Roti Gang Member, and Pakistan’s Quiet All-Rounder
Not every historically significant cricket record comes attached to a household name. Faheem Ashraf became the first Pakistani bowler ever to take a T20I hat-trick — a genuine piece of national cricketing history — and yet he’s spent much of his career operating as a reliable, unglamorous supporting piece rather than a headline act. That’s arguably the most accurate way to understand him: a genuinely important all-rounder who does his job efficiently, rarely dominates the conversation, and keeps quietly delivering when Pakistan needs him.
Phool Nagar, a lawyer father, and initial resistance
Faheem was born on 16 January 1994 into a Punjabi Rajput family in Phool Nagar, a town in Kasur, Punjab. His father, Rana Muhammad Ashraf, is a well-known lawyer in the area — and, according to Faheem’s own account in a television interview, didn’t initially want his son to pursue cricket as a career, a familiar tension in a family with an established professional path already in place. Faheem is one of nine siblings by most counts (sources vary slightly between “two sisters and six brothers” and “two sisters and seven brothers”), a genuinely large family from which he eventually carved his own distinct path into professional sport.
A slow domestic climb, then a maiden century on debut
Faheem’s cricket journey began in 2010, playing inter-district Under-19 cricket in the Faisalabad region, before joining the Faisalabad Under-19 side and later playing senior district cricket for Kasur in 2013. He joined the Faisalabad team for the 2013-14 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and scored a century in his very first first-class match — an immediately promising start. He originally aspired to be a genuine fast bowler, but it was ultimately his lower-order pinch-hitting that opened the door to international recognition, alongside increasingly reliable medium-pace bowling. In the 2016-17 Departmental One Day Cup, he took 19 wickets to finish as the tournament’s top bowler — the kind of complete all-round domestic season that gets national selectors’ attention.
An international call-up, then a delayed debut
Faheem was first named in Pakistan’s ODI squad for a series against the West Indies in March 2017 but didn’t play in any of the matches. His actual ODI debut came against Sri Lanka in the 2017 Champions Trophy at Cardiff on 12 June, where he dismissed Dinesh Chandimal for his first international wicket. He’d already made an impression before the tournament even started, though: in a Champions Trophy warm-up match against Bangladesh, he scored 64 runs in Pakistan’s two-wicket win — an early flash of the lower-order batting value that would become a recurring theme throughout his career.
Historic hat-trick, barely a month into T20Is
Faheem’s T20I debut came against a World XI in the 2017 Independence Cup on 12 September 2017. Just over a month later, on 27 October 2017, against Sri Lanka at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, he took a hat-trick — dismissing Isuru Udana, Mahela Udawatte, and Dasun Shanaka on consecutive balls, helping seal Pakistan’s series lead and becoming the first Pakistani bowler, and sixth player overall in the sport’s history, to achieve a T20I hat-trick. It’s a genuinely rare, historically significant feat that few bowlers anywhere ever achieve, and it arrived remarkably early in his international career.
An 83 on debut, in a historic Test
Faheem’s Test debut carries its own piece of history: on 11 May 2018, he played in Pakistan’s first-ever Test match against Ireland, at Malahide in Dublin. He made an immediate mark with the bat, scoring 83 off 111 balls — a genuinely substantial debut innings that showed his batting could handle real pressure in the format’s most demanding conditions from his very first appearance. He backed it up with further important Test contributions over the years, including a 64 against South Africa in January 2021 and a 91 in New Zealand — both innings played, notably, in situations where Pakistan’s top order had struggled, exactly the kind of rescue-act batting a genuine all-rounder needs to provide.
PSL success with Islamabad United
Selected by Islamabad United in the initial PSL player draft in 2016, Faheem made his franchise debut in 2018 and quickly established himself as a key contributor. That 2018 season, he finished as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 18 scalps as Islamabad United won the title, earning him the PSL’s Best Bowler award. Over seven seasons with the franchise through 2024, he accumulated 73 wickets across 72 matches at an economy around 8.75, alongside 800 runs at a strike rate near 145 — genuinely substantial all-round production sustained over a long stretch with the same team, before moving to Quetta Gladiators in 2025.
A genuinely global franchise résumé
Beyond the PSL, Faheem has played across a striking number of leagues worldwide: Paktia in the inaugural Afghanistan Premier League in 2018, Dhaka Platoon and later Fortune Barishal and Khulna Tigers in the Bangladesh Premier League, Galle Gladiators in the Lanka Premier League, Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League, and Northamptonshire in English county cricket, who re-signed him for the 2020 season. In January 2025, playing for Fortune Barishal against Sylhet Strikers, he took 5 wickets for just 7 runs in 3.1 overs — a genuinely exceptional spell that no other foreign player matched in that BPL season.
Captaincy, and a T20 World Cup highlight
Faheem was appointed captain of Pakistan’s team for the 2024 Hong Kong Cricket Sixes, a shortened exhibition tournament — his first taste of leading a national side, even in a non-standard format. His profile rose further at the 2026 T20 World Cup: named Player of the Match in the tournament’s opening game against the Netherlands on 6 February 2026, for a match-winning unbeaten 29 off just 11 balls — the third-highest score by any batter coming in at number eight or lower in a successful T20 World Cup run chase, a genuinely rare statistical marker for a lower-order finishing cameo.
He also earned Player of the Series honours in Pakistan’s home T20I series against South Africa in October 2025, taking 6 wickets including career-best figures of 4 for 23 — evidence that, even years into his international career, he remains capable of genuinely standout individual performances rather than simply blending into the background.
Part of the “Roti Gang”
Away from the numbers, Faheem is a well-known member of what’s affectionately called the Pakistan dressing room’s “Roti Gang” — a close friend group including Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, and Fakhar Zaman. He’s spoken about admiring Babar Azam as a “world-class player,” and has publicly noted that his own vote for PCB awards often goes to his close friend Hasan Ali — small, human details that paint a picture of a genuinely well-liked, socially embedded figure within the national setup, beyond his statistical contributions.
Business ventures, and rising earnings
Faheem has expanded into business as well, launching his own venture, H&H By Faheem Ashraf, alongside reported involvement in high-value luxury property investments. Following his standout 2026 T20 World Cup opener, his market value rose significantly, and he’s registered for PSL auctions at a base price among the league’s higher brackets, reflecting his standing as one of Pakistan’s more highly compensated white-ball all-rounders by the mid-2020s.
Where his career stands
Faheem Ashraf’s career is a genuine study in sustained, understated usefulness: a historic T20I hat-trick and an 83 on Test debut early on, followed by years of consistent, if rarely headline-grabbing, all-round contributions across every format and a genuinely global franchise résumé. His identification of Test cricket as his personal favourite format, despite his white-ball success, and his continued ability to produce standout performances — the 2026 World Cup opener, the South Africa Player of the Series award — suggest a player still very much adding to his legacy rather than coasting on early achievements.
Quick facts
Full name: Rana Faheem Ashraf | Born: 16 January 1994, Phool Nagar, Kasur | Role: Left-handed lower-order batter, right-arm medium-fast bowler | Notable: First Pakistani bowler with a T20I hat-trick (2017), 83 on Test debut vs Ireland (2018), 2018 PSL Best Bowler with Islamabad United, Player of the Match at the 2026 T20 World Cup opener.
Frequently asked questions
How old is Faheem Ashraf?
Born on 16 January 1994, Faheem Ashraf is in his early thirties as of 2026.
What record does Faheem Ashraf hold?
He was the first Pakistani bowler, and sixth player overall, to take a hat-trick in T20 International cricket, achieved against Sri Lanka in 2017.
What did Faheem Ashraf do on his Test debut?
He scored 83 off 111 balls against Ireland in May 2018, in Pakistan’s first-ever Test match, played at Malahide in Dublin.
Which PSL team does Faheem Ashraf play for?
Quetta Gladiators, having moved there in 2025 after seven successful seasons with Islamabad United, where he was PSL 2018 Best Bowler.
What is the “Roti Gang” Faheem Ashraf is part of?
A close friend group within Pakistan’s dressing room including Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, and Fakhar Zaman.