Karachi: On the eve of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 Final, Fakhar Zaman confided in the then Pakistan Men’s head coach Mickey Arthur that he wasn’t feeling a hundred percent ahead of the big day.
“I was not well the day before the game,” Fakhar shared. “I even talked to Mickey and said I won’t be able to play the game.”
However, Arthur eventually had his way and convinced the swashbuckling opener to play the final, even if it meant that he got out on the first ball.
“He said you go out there and get a duck first ball, it doesn’t matter,you have to play that game," Fakhar said.
“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,” he said.
The move bore fruits, as Fakhar played an inspiring knock for Pakistan, an ICC report said.
Scoring 114 off 106 deliveries, Fakhar helped the Men in Green post a mammoth total that eventually helped them to a 180-run win.
However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Fakhar. The batter was, in fact, on his way back to the hut at the score of three when he was given a game-changing reprieve.
Having been caught off Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling early in the game, Fakhar was deemed not out after a front-foot no-ball check.
The 34-year-old recalled the miraculous lifeline and the emotions he underwent during the call.
“I had been talking to Shadab (Khan) and somebody got out on a no-ball when we were watching a game," Fakhar said.
“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," he said.
“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," Fakhar said.
“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 said.
Following his match-winning ton at The Oval, Fakhar was deemed the Player of the Match. It was a knock that elevated his status back home, and sparked celebrations he hadn’t experienced before.
“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."
“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 at that time, I wish
I could do more things like that,” Fakhar said.
Fakhar is a part of the Pakistan setup for the 2025 Champions Trophy and will hope to help his side to glory once again.
