Fakhar Zaman made a name for himself on June 18, 2017. The southpaw opener had made his debut just three months ago and played just 6 matches in his career by then. In fact, Fakhar’s first ODI had come 11 days before the Pakistan vs. India final in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.
Fakhar Zaman wasn’t going to play
The opener was in great touch. He’d scored back-to-back centuries against Sri Lanka and England but wasn’t feeling well for the big day. Fakhar had told his then-head coach, Mickey Arthur, that he wouldn’t play the match. But his coach told him to go out there, and even if he scored a duck, it would be fine.
How ‘that’ no-ball from Jasprit Bumrah changed Fakhar Zaman’s mindset
Fakhar wasn’t at his best. He was dismissed, scoring 3 (9). Only he wasn’t. Jasprit Bumrah had stepped over the line. On his way to the dressing room, third umpire Kumar Dharmasena told him to wait. A no-ball. India never recovered from there. Fakhar scored 111 (97) from there on.
Pakistan posted a whopping 338 and won by 180 runs. No one expected them to beat India, who had thrashed them not too long ago in the same tournament. Fakhar Zaman has revealed how he managed to do so well in the Pakistan vs. India Final in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.
“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,” Fakhar told ICC.
“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,” he added.
