Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has recalled the advice he gave to his players ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final against arch-rivals India.
Pakistan thrashed India by 180 runs to clinch their first ICC title since 2009 courtesy of some fine batting and bowling performances from Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Amir.
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.
Recalling Pakistan’s campaign in the tournament, Sarfaraz Ahmed said that the team made a remarkable comeback after losing the group-stage match against India.
The archrivals faced off in the group stage games where India defeated Pakistan by 124 runs (DLS method).
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“In 2017, we played India in our first match and were soundly beaten by 124 runs. It was my first game as captain and we were poor in all areas,” he shared.
“Afterwards, we had a great team meeting, and some of our senior guys – Shoaib Malik, and Mohammad Hafeez – all said their piece. You need those types of characters around you,”
However, the Men in Green kept their chances alive in the Champions Trophy as they beat South Africa and Sri Lanka in the following games before defeating England in the semi-final.
Speaking of his mindset and his advice to his players before the game, the former Pakistan captain said that he told his players to ‘relax’ and ‘forget the result.’
“I was just confident our level was very high and my message to the players ahead of the final was to relax,” Sarfaraz said.
“We knew we had beaten some of the best teams, so India was nothing we had not seen. I told the guys to relax, forget the result and just give 100%. The rest is history.”
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