Fabulous Fakhar on ‘Unlikely’ 2017 Success

Fakhar Zaman travelled to the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 without a single ODI appearance to his name. By the time he returned to Pakistan as a match-winner in the final, people were travelling hundreds of kilometres just to take a picture with him.

The left-handed opening batter will make his return to the Pakistan team on home soil when the competition returns later this month, looking to recreate the heroics of eight years ago.

In that tournament, he started out of the team, earned a one-day debut and went onto form the foundation of a final victory over India in one of the greatest days in Pakistani cricketing history.

Even so, he was taken aback by the response when he landed back home.

“It was special back in Pakistan,” he recalled. “I didn’t expect anything like that and I have never seen anything like that in my whole life. People were waiting for us. I was alone on the Peshawar flight, most of the guys were flying to Lahore or Karachi. There were thousands of people waiting at the airport. It took three to four hours to get out of the airport.

“Then there were people waiting on the streets and on the roads. When I got to my hometown, the whole street was full of people. In our villages, we have a guest house and the whole guest house was full of people.

“For many weeks, people from 500km or more away would come to take a picture. It was unbelievable and it was something special. The way we made people feel at that time, I wish I could do more things like that.”

Fakhar did not feature in the first meeting between Pakistan and India, which India won by 124 runs, but was handed a debut in the second encounter against South Africa.

He scored 31 off just 23 in that game as Pakistan stayed alive in the tournament with a 19-run victory at Edgbaston, a knock that is still right up there among his favourite in the format.

He said: “In my head, I thought I would go and play positive cricket in that game and if something went wrong, then I would see for the next game against Sri Lanka if I changed. I scored 31 runs and it is still one of my favourite innings in my ODI career.

“I didn’t feel that much pressure in the South Africa game. I felt more pressure in the Sri Lanka game. The first one was my first game and I wasn’t aware of what to expect. There were so many things going through my head, but I didn’t feel that much pressure.

“There was more pressure game by game as we progressed.”

While Fakhar went into the tournament with limited expectations, the Pakistan management and senior players never lacked confidence.

And after they beat Sri Lanka by three wickets to reach the semi-finals, that belief started to filter through to the rest of the team that they were capable of going all the way.

“Myself and Sarfaraz (Ahmed, the captain) played club cricket together in Karachi. We had a big tournament happening in Karachi just after the group stages. After the first game against India, I went to Sarfaraz and said ‘we will be playing in Pakistan’ and he said ‘what are you saying?’. He said ‘bro, we will go to Pakistan, but with the Champions Trophy’.

“I was thinking looking at this man, he’s lost his senses, what is he saying? But the confidence of our leadership, Sarfaraz and Mickey Arthur, I didn’t think we would win but they would tell us every time that we would win, that we had to win.

“The confidence in the leadership group, even after losing the first game, they were 100% confident that we would bring home the trophy. When we played Sri Lanka, the way luck was with us that day, Sri Lankan players dropped catches, and the way Sarfaraz played in that game, we knew that something great was coming.”

Up against hosts England in the semi-finals, Pakistan’s bowlers were outstanding in Cardiff, shutting down the previously unstoppable English batters to set up an eight-wicket victory.

That set up a final clash with India, the dream match-up for fans, but a meeting that Fakhar almost missed.

“I was not well the day before the game,” he said. “I even talked to Mickey and said I won’t be able to play the game. He said you go out there and get a duck first ball, it doesn’t matter, you have to play that game. I managed to play but I remember that I didn’t sleep well that night and he forced me to play. I’m pleased he did!”

Pakistan batted first at The Oval, and even though Fakhar did not feel like he was at his most fluent, he smashed a brilliant century, making 114 off 106 balls to set Pakistan on their way to 338 for four in 50 overs.

That came after he had been given a reprieve when he was on three, caught off the bowling of Jasprit Bumrah, with a no-ball saving him.

He said: “I had been talking to Shadab (Khan) and somebody got out on a no-ball when we were watching a game. I said ‘I’d love to get out to a no-ball’. I just said it randomly because whenever you get out, I always look to the umpire hoping they will say ‘wait while we check the no-ball’ and nothing happens and I end up back in the dressing room.

“The same thing happened in that game, I got out to a no-ball. Kumar Dharmasena was the third umpire and I was going out. From the boundary, he said ‘wait there’. I was halfway back and when I saw that, I was 100% sure it was a no-ball. After that, I thought maybe it’s my day.”

It certainly turned out that way, with Fakhar earning Player of the Match honours as Pakistan ended up winning by 180 runs, Mohammad Amir doing the damage with the ball as he tore through the dangerous Indian top order.

That day is one that he will never forget, as he prepares to embark on his second Champions Trophy. And beyond the excitement of the day and the celebrations afterwards, it is the way the team came together in England and Wales that stands out.

He concluded: “There are too many memories. The best memory for me was the way the team gelled, to become friends with Shadab, Faheem (Ashraf), Hasan Ali, we became really close.”