Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman and former pace bowler Mohammad Amir looked back at their unforgettable performances in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.
Pakistan thrashed India by 180 runs to clinch their first ICC title since 2009 courtesy of some fine batting and bowling performances from Zaman and Amir.
While engaging in an exciting episode of The Desert Vipers’ latest season of ‘Straight Up’ both reflected on the fond memories of the final.
Zaman, whose knock of 114 runs flattened India, reflected on his game-changing century. The 34-year-old was lucky to be dismissed off a no-ball early in his innings. Remembering the moment, the left-hand batter revealed that he had wished for such luck before the match.
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“When I said that, it was just a casual comment during a conversation with my teammates. No one took it seriously. But when it actually happened, everyone started saying I had seen it in my dreams!” he said while laughing.
Zaman’s phenomenal performance helped the Pakistani team post a mammoth total of 338 runs which resulted in a famous victory over arch-rivals.
Similarly, Mohammad Amir wreaked havoc on India’s top order in the Champions Trophy 2017 final with his bowling, dismissing the star-studded trio of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli, to help Pakistan achieve one of the most glorious feats in history.
Amir’s sensational figures of 3 for 16 in six overs helped the Green Shirts to bowl out India for 158.
Amir reflected on his spell saying that there was not much help from the pitch but, when Virat Kohli fell, he was almost certain that Pakistan had secured the Trophy.
“Honestly, that pitch wasn’t swinging much. Even in the morning, there wasn’t a lot of movement,” Amir said. “But I had this feeling that something special was going to happen. When I got Rohit out first, the energy just kept building.”
“The moment Kohli got out, I thought, ‘We’ve won 60% of the game.’ It was a surreal feeling,” he further said.
The duo recalled the historical moments of celebrations, landing back with the trophy at home. Fakhar reminisced about the struggle to exit the airport due to the massive crowd, while the former pacer described the jubilant scenes in the streets of Karachi.
“I didn’t realize the magnitude of what we had achieved until we landed in Pakistan. People came from all over to celebrate with us,” Fakhar said.
READ: Shaheen Afridi reminisces Pakistan’s ICC Champions Trophy 2017 victory