Who would have thought that a team which was crushed by 124 runs in their first game of the tournament would go on to make it to the final of the Champions Trophy by thoroughly outplaying favourites and hosts – England. But the man who mattered the most, that is Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed who never lost hope in his team and backed his men after the disastrous outing against India and he is now reaping the rewards for it, as the Men in Green made it to their maiden Champions Trophy final and first final appearance in a global 50-over tournament since the 1999 World Cup.
Speaking after the game, Sarfraz said he always believed Pakistan could reach the final of the tournament despite being written off by many after the heavy defeat in the tournament opener against India.
“After the India match, we just motivated the guys,” Sarfraz said. “Don’t worry about the India match. This is gone. We have two matches. If we play good cricket, definitely we will win this tournament. Now we are in the finals.
“No one recognised us. So I was very happy for my team performance, and all the credit goes to my team management and my players,” he added.
Sarfraz further said he was not expecting his bowlers to bundle England’s formidable lineup for just 210. Right from the time Sarfraz won the toss and decided to bowl first, the Pakistani bowlers bowled a tight line, never allowing the English batsmen to get off the hook. England’s hard-hitting all-rounder Ben Stokes’ 64-ball stay at the crease without a single boundary speaks volume of Pakistan’s bowling efforts at Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens.
“I was not expecting we would bowl them out for 210,” said Sarfraz. “Yesterday we came here, we had a meeting and we thought if we won the toss we would elect to bowl first and could restrict them to 260, 270. That’s why the target was easy for us.
Hasan Ali, the Man of the Match, once again led Pakistan’s attack brilliantly with figures of 3-35 including the prized scalp of Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes. He was well-supported by fellow pacers Junaid Khan and debutant Rumman Raees who took two wickets each. Pakistan’s spinners also played their part by keeping things tight.
“Credit goes to the bowlers. They bowled really well, especially in the middle part, starting with Shadab [Khan]. They took Joe Root. Then Hasan came in, and he took a wicket. Then Junaid Khan, Rumman Raees. All credit goes to the bowlers,” Sarfraz said.
“I’m very happy about my youngsters performing, especially Hasan who is improving day by day. Shadab is also improving day by day, and now today Fakhar Zaman. He’s playing in his third match, and now he’s batting just like a champion batsman. So I’m really happy about his performance,” he added.
Speaking of Mohammad Amir’s injury which forced the left-arm pacer to miss the semifinal clash, Sarfraz said:
“I think he has a little bit of back spasm. Hopefully, he will recover for the finals. Obviously, he’s our main bowler. He’s our best strike bowler.”