Pakistan · Wicketkeeper-batter

Khawaja Nafay: Age, T20I Stats, PSL 60* and Career

Khawaja Nafay is a 24-year-old Pakistani wicketkeeper-batter whose unbeaten 60 in his second Pakistan Super League match turned a little-known domestic player into a national talking point. Born in Karachi on 13 February 2002, the right-hander later made 103 not out on first-class debut and entered Pakistan's T20I side in January 2026. His international record stood at 54 runs from four T20Is when these figures were checked on 3 September 2026. The headline innings show his clean striking and range, but the wider record is still developing: he followed a PKR 6.5 crore PSL 2026 auction price with 77 runs in eight matches, then made one appearance for Pakistan Gold in the National Champions Cup. Those contrasts make his career more useful to examine than a highlights-only summary.

By StumpScope Cricket Desk · Edited by StumpScope Editorial Team

Right-handedRight-arm off-break (occasional) bowlerBorn 13 February 2002

Current squadPakistan GoldPakistan and domestic cricket · Career records checked 3 September 2026

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Full nameKhawaja Mohammad Nafay

Age24As of 3 September 2026

Date of birth13 February 2002Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan

Batting styleRight-handed

Bowling styleRight-arm off-break (occasional)

Career overview

Khawaja Nafay cricket career

Born 13 February 2002 in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan; aged 24 on 3 September 2026.

Right-handed wicketkeeper-batter; off-break is a listed secondary skill, not an established senior bowling role.

Made 60 not out from 31 balls in his second PSL match and was player of the match.

Scored 103 not out on first-class debut for Karachi Blues.

Made his Pakistan T20I debut in January 2026 and played at the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Had 54 runs from four T20Is and 311 runs from 20 PSL matches at the checked cutoff.

Career story

Khawaja Nafay career and playing journey

Who is Khawaja Nafay?

Khawaja Mohammad Nafay is a Pakistani wicketkeeper-batter from Karachi. He bats right-handed and has represented Pakistan, Pakistan Shaheens, Quetta Gladiators, Karachi regional sides, UMT Markhors, Omar Associates and Pakistan Gold across international, franchise and domestic cricket.

His route was less conventional than the standard progression from a long first-class apprenticeship. He attracted attention through short-format opportunities and practice videos before a PSL innings made him widely known. That rapid rise brought international selection, but it also means his career contains a mixture of small samples, changing roles and eye-catching peaks that need to be read in their proper competition context.

How old is Khawaja Nafay and where was he born?

Khawaja Nafay was born on 13 February 2002 in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. He was 24 years old on 3 September 2026.

The date and place come from the Pakistan Cricket Board's player record for Khawaja Mohammad Nafay. Using the full name, birth date and PCB player identity is important because search databases sometimes shorten his name or place similarly named cricketers beside him. His age should always be tied to a date rather than stored as a permanent number.

What is Khawaja Nafay's playing role?

Nafay is best described as a wicketkeeper-batter. He is a right-handed top-order or middle-order option who can keep wicket, while some player directories also list right-arm off-break as a secondary skill.

His senior record does not support presenting him as a bowling all-rounder. The dated career tables show virtually no bowling workload and no senior wicket at the main cutoff. His selection value has come from batting flexibility and wicketkeeping cover. Even then, a squad label should not be used to assume that he kept wicket in every match; scorecards determine the role he actually performed on a given day.

How did Khawaja Nafay reach professional cricket?

Nafay's development combined formal age-group cricket with a resourceful academy environment. In an ESPN interview after his PSL breakthrough, he said coach Liaquat Ali Khan had worked with him since childhood and described training arrangements that continued even when proper nets were not available.

He played regional Under-16 and Under-19 cricket, appeared at an Under-15 event in India, and moved through senior and Grade-II opportunities. Clips managed through the academy helped more people see his batting, but the videos were a shop window rather than a substitute for matches. Bangladesh Premier League and Ramadan cricket exposure preceded the PSL opportunity that finally placed his name before a much larger audience.

Why did Khawaja Nafay's 60 not out become his breakthrough innings?

Nafay made 60 not out from 31 balls as Quetta Gladiators chased 188 against Lahore Qalandars on 19 February 2024. It was only his second PSL appearance, and the unbeaten innings earned him the player-of-the-match award in Quetta's five-wicket win.

The situation amplified the impact. Quetta needed a demanding chase against the defending champions, while Nafay was still almost unknown to much of the PSL audience. He struck four fours and three sixes, found scoring options around the ground and stayed to finish the chase. The innings did not instantly establish a complete career, but it proved that his practice-ground inventiveness could survive the pace and pressure of a major franchise league.

What made the PSL 60* unusual?

The most striking feature was not only the scoring rate of 193.54. Nafay faced 31 balls while allowing very few deliveries to pass without a run, repeatedly rotating the strike between boundary shots.

That combination matters in a chase because dot-ball pressure often forces an inexperienced batter into a low-percentage option. Nafay avoided that trap and made the target manageable for the finishers. The innings remains his PSL high score through the 2026 season. It is better evidence of his ceiling than of week-to-week consistency, because his subsequent league totals have included quieter stretches alongside another half-century.

How did Khawaja Nafay score a century on first-class debut?

Nafay made an unbeaten 103 on first-class debut for Karachi Blues. He faced 193 balls, hit 11 fours and one six, and shared an unbroken 175-run partnership as Karachi completed a nine-wicket victory.

The innings answered a different question from the PSL 60. Rather than chasing rapidly for a few overs, he stayed through a long red-ball innings and converted a start into a hundred. His broader first-class sample remained small at five matches through 2024/25, with 143 runs at 20.42, so the debut century dominates the aggregate. It nevertheless shows that his best work has not been confined to improvised T20 hitting.

What happened in Khawaja Nafay's 2025 PSL season?

Nafay played only two PSL matches in 2025 but produced another high-impact innings: 51 from 26 balls against Multan Sultans. He hit five fours and four sixes and shared a 77-run opening stand in a successful Quetta chase.

The two-match season produced 52 runs, so almost the entire return came from that one innings. It reinforced the value of using both totals and match context. A season average based on two appearances cannot establish long-term consistency, but a 26-ball fifty against a full PSL attack remains meaningful evidence of the speed at which he can change a chase when his timing is working.

When did Khawaja Nafay make his Pakistan debut?

Nafay made his Pakistan T20I debut against Sri Lanka at Dambulla on 11 January 2026. He became Pakistan men's 125th T20I player and scored 26 from 15 balls in the rain-reduced match.

Pakistan used him as a lower-middle-order hitter rather than simply recreating his domestic opening role. He later made 21 from 12 balls in the third T20I against Australia, including two sixes, as Pakistan won by 111 runs. Those two innings supplied 47 of his first 54 international runs, illustrating both his scoring pace and the volatility of a four-innings sample.

How did Khawaja Nafay perform at the 2026 T20 World Cup?

Pakistan selected Nafay as a wicketkeeping option for his first senior global tournament. He appeared twice and scored seven runs from eight balls: five against Namibia and two against Sri Lanka.

The World Cup therefore added valuable tournament experience but not a defining batting return. Selection for a 15-player squad and two appearances are distinct facts, just as being listed as a wicketkeeper does not prove he took the gloves in every game. His four-match T20I record through the tournament was 54 runs at 13.50 with a strike rate of 154.28, plus one catch and one stumping.

What do Khawaja Nafay's T20I statistics show?

Through the 2026 T20 World Cup, Nafay had played four T20Is, scored 54 runs from four innings and recorded a high score of 26. His strike rate was 154.28, while the average was 13.50.

The strike rate reflects his attacking assignment, but four innings are too few to define an international career. He had not made a fifty and had not bowled. The most useful reading is descriptive: two brisk bilateral innings showed immediate boundary power, while two World Cup innings ended cheaply. More matches against different attacks and in different batting positions would be needed before comparing his international output with his longer domestic T20 record.

How strong is Khawaja Nafay's wider T20 record?

The locked career snapshot through 2025/26 records 878 runs from 49 T20 matches at 20.41, with a strike rate of 134.86, seven fifties and a high score of 68. It also records 20 catches and one stumping.

His PSL subset stood at 311 runs from 20 matches, an average of 17.27 and a strike rate of 129.04, with two fifties and a high score of 60 not out. PSL runs are already contained within the overall T20 total and must not be added again. The gap between the memorable highlights and the overall average is the central performance question: his strongest innings demonstrate range, while sustained run production remains the next benchmark.

What did Khawaja Nafay do in the 2026 National T20 Cup?

Nafay scored 59 runs from three innings for Karachi Whites in the 2026 National T20 Cup. He was dismissed twice, averaged 29.50 and struck at 159.46 across 37 balls.

His main contribution was an unbeaten 48 from 20 balls, with six fours and two sixes. Nafay and Mohammad Taha added an unbroken 86 from 35 balls to finish a chase. He later made ten from 14 balls in the final, where Karachi were bowled out for 118. The tournament therefore contained both a rapid finishing innings and a low-scoring title match, a more balanced picture than the 48 not out alone.

What did Quetta Gladiators pay for Khawaja Nafay in 2026?

Quetta Gladiators bought Nafay for PKR 6.5 crore at the first PSL player auction, from a reported base price of PKR 1.1 crore. The price showed strong franchise demand before the 2026 season.

An auction figure is not the same as take-home salary, lifetime earnings or net worth. Taxes, contract terms, payment structures and private finances are not established by the auction announcement. The on-field return also needs separate treatment: official PCB averages record 77 runs from eight PSL 2026 matches, with a high score of 20, an average of 9.63 and a strike rate of 124.19. Price described expectation; those numbers describe the season.

How did Khawaja Nafay perform in the 2026 Lanka Premier League?

Nafay's standout LPL innings was 54 from 34 balls for Jaffna Kings in Qualifier 1. He struck four fours and three sixes at 158.82 while Jaffna chased a record tournament total.

The innings helped keep Jaffna's chase alive but did not produce victory, and one fifty should not be stretched into a claim about an entire campaign. It still matters in his career sequence because it came after a difficult PSL season and showed his boundary-hitting against another franchise field. He also appeared in the final, where Jaffna lost, so the tournament added knockout experience as well as a fifty.

What was Khawaja Nafay's role for Pakistan Gold?

Nafay played one match for Pakistan Gold in the 2026/27 National Champions Cup. Against Pakistan Blues on 12 August, he scored three from 13 balls and was bowled by Sufyan Moqim.

Pakistan Gold went on to win the competition, but Nafay did not play the final. He can accurately be described as a member of the title-winning squad, not as a final performer. The completed team averages record one match, one innings, three runs, a high score of three and an average of 3.00. Correcting the dismissal is important because an earlier partial snapshot wrongly treated the innings as not out.

Which teams has Khawaja Nafay represented?

Nafay's record includes Pakistan, Pakistan Shaheens, Karachi Blues, Karachi Whites, Karachi age-group sides, Omar Associates, UMT Markhors, Quetta Gladiators and Pakistan Gold. He has also taken franchise opportunities outside Pakistan.

The list describes selection and career movement rather than a promise that he appeared in every match for every squad. Domestic restructuring can also place the same player under regional, departmental and tournament-specific team names within a short period. Match-level claims should therefore come from scorecards, while team directories are best used to establish identity and membership.

What are Khawaja Nafay's biggest achievements?

Nafay's clearest individual landmarks are 60 not out in his second PSL match, 103 not out on first-class debut, a second PSL fifty in 2025 and a Pakistan T20I debut in January 2026. He then appeared at the 2026 T20 World Cup and made an LPL knockout fifty later in the year.

The achievements span different skills and levels: finishing a difficult chase, occupying the crease for a first-class hundred, earning senior international selection and producing a rapid franchise innings abroad. They should not be merged into a single claim of consistency. His next stage is to turn more starts into substantial scores across a full season while competing for a settled batting and wicketkeeping role.

What is known about Khawaja Nafay's net worth and personal life?

No audited or similarly dependable public record establishes Nafay's net worth, total career earnings or current take-home income. The PKR 6.5 crore PSL auction price is a documented contract figure, not proof of personal wealth.

Reliable current cricket sources also do not provide enough evidence to name a spouse or girlfriend or to publish a detailed family biography. Repeating unsourced claims would turn a useful cricket page into speculation about a person's private life. The responsible account is limited to what the public record supports: his Karachi background, academy development and professional cricket career.

Khawaja Nafay records

Khawaja Nafay career statistics and records

Batting, bowling and fielding figures are kept separate by competition and format.

T20I career through 2025/264matches

Batting

Innings: 4
Runs: 54
High score: 26
Average: 13.50
Strike rate: 154.28
Not outs: 0
100s / 50s: 0/0

Bowling & fielding

Innings: Did not bowl
Wickets: 0
Best bowling: Not applicable
Average: Not applicable
Economy: Not applicable
Strike rate: Not applicable
Balls: 0
Catches / stumpings: 1 catch, 1 stumping
5w / 10w: 0/0

First-class career through 2024/255matches

Batting

Innings: 8
Runs: 143
High score: 103*
Average: 20.42
Strike rate: 42.30
Not outs: 1
100s / 50s: 1/0

Bowling & fielding

Innings: One short spell
Wickets: 0
Best bowling: 0/2
Average: No wicket
Economy: 2.40
Strike rate: No wicket
Balls: 5
Catches / stumpings: 3
5w / 10w: 0/0

List A career through 2024/252matches

Batting

Innings: 2
Runs: 6
High score: 6
Average: 3.00
Strike rate: 42.85
Not outs: 0
100s / 50s: 0/0

Bowling & fielding

Innings: Did not bowl
Wickets: 0
Best bowling: Not applicable
Average: Not applicable
Economy: Not applicable
Strike rate: Not applicable
Balls: 0
Catches / stumpings: 1
5w / 10w: 0/0

T20 career through 2025/2649matches

Batting

Innings: 47
Runs: 878
High score: 68
Average: 20.41
Strike rate: 134.86
Not outs: 4
100s / 50s: 0/7

Bowling & fielding

Innings: Did not bowl
Wickets: 0
Best bowling: Not applicable
Average: Not applicable
Economy: Not applicable
Strike rate: Not applicable
Balls: 0
Catches / stumpings: 20 catches, 1 stumping
5w / 10w: 0/0

HBL PSL career through 2025/2620matches

Batting

Innings: 20
Runs: 311
High score: 60*
Average: 17.27
Strike rate: 129.04
Not outs: 2
100s / 50s: 0/2

Bowling & fielding

Innings: Did not bowl
Wickets: 0
Best bowling: Not applicable
Average: Not applicable
Economy: Not applicable
Strike rate: Not applicable
Balls: 0
Catches / stumpings: 8
5w / 10w: 0/0

National Champions Cup 2026/271matches

Batting

Innings: 1
Runs: 3
High score: 3
Average: 3.00
Strike rate: 23.08
Not outs: 0
100s / 50s: 0/0

Bowling & fielding

Innings: Did not bowl
Wickets: 0
Best bowling: Not applicable
Average: Not applicable
Economy: Not applicable
Strike rate: Not applicable
Balls: 0
Catches / stumpings: 0 catches, 0 stumpings
5w / 10w: 0/0

Career chronology

Debut and last listed match

Karachi pathway

Debut

Regional Under-16 and Under-19 cricket before senior domestic opportunities

Last listed match

Senior career active in 2026

First-class cricket

Debut

103 not out for Karachi Blues on debut

Last listed match

Five-match snapshot through 2024/25

Pakistan T20I

Debut

Against Sri Lanka on 11 January 2026

Last listed match

Four-match record through the 2026 T20 World Cup

Pakistan Gold

Debut

Three against Pakistan Blues on 12 August 2026

Last listed match

One appearance; squad won the title on 18 August

Career achievements

Career achievements and milestones

Made 60 not out from 31 balls in his second PSL match.
Won the player-of-the-match award as Quetta chased 188 against Lahore in 2024.
Scored 103 not out on first-class debut for Karachi Blues.
Hit 51 from 26 balls for Quetta Gladiators in the 2025 PSL.
Made 48 not out from 20 balls in the 2026 National T20 Cup.
Became Pakistan men's 125th T20I player in January 2026.
Represented Pakistan at the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Scored 54 from 34 balls in the 2026 LPL Qualifier 1.

Reader questions

Khawaja Nafay FAQ

How old is Khawaja Nafay?

Khawaja Nafay was 24 on 3 September 2026. He was born on 13 February 2002.

Where was Khawaja Nafay born?

He was born in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.

What is Khawaja Nafay's playing role?

He is a right-handed wicketkeeper-batter. Off-break is listed as a secondary skill, but he is not an established senior bowling option.

When did Khawaja Nafay make his Pakistan debut?

He made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka at Dambulla on 11 January 2026 and scored 26 from 15 balls.

What is Khawaja Nafay's highest PSL score?

His PSL high score through the 2026 season is 60 not out from 31 balls for Quetta Gladiators against Lahore Qalandars.

How many T20I runs has Khawaja Nafay scored?

At the checked cutoff after the 2026 T20 World Cup, he had 54 runs from four T20Is at a strike rate of 154.28.

Did Khawaja Nafay play in the National Champions Cup final?

No. He made one earlier appearance and scored three. Pakistan Gold won the title, but Nafay was not in the final XI.

What was Khawaja Nafay's PSL 2026 auction price?

Quetta Gladiators bought him for PKR 6.5 crore. That reported auction price should not be treated as audited income or net worth.

What is Khawaja Nafay's net worth?

No audited or similarly dependable public record establishes his current net worth or total career earnings.

Is Khawaja Nafay married?

Dependable current cricket sources do not provide enough evidence to state his relationship status as fact.

Conclusion

Khawaja Nafay's career has developed through sharp contrasts. His 60 not out in a demanding PSL chase and 103 not out on first-class debut showed two very different versions of his batting, while four T20Is and a World Cup place carried him into Pakistan's senior setup.

The next question is consistency rather than visibility. A difficult 2026 PSL season and a one-innings Pakistan Gold campaign sit beside the LPL fifty and National T20 burst. At 24, he has already shown an unusual range of scoring options; sustained runs and a settled team role will determine how far that promise travels.