Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman said that he was not looking for a personal milestone in the game against Bangladesh preferring to see the team through to the end quickly to maintain their hopes of reaching the semifinals of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
With a convincing seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh, Pakistan maintained their tenuous chance of making it to the semi-finals, and with 17.3 overs left, Pakistan successfully chased a 205-run target, allowing the Men in Green to acquire a sizeable net run-rate advantage.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, to increase their net run rate, Fakhar Zaman thinks it’s crucial for him to chase down the target as soon as possible rather than trying to reach his century in the game. He also thinks that this win would give their team more confidence going into the tournament’s remaining games.
“Because of the situation that we are in at the moment, we were looking to chase the target down in 28-29 overs, so I went hard. Otherwise, it was very easy for me to get to the 100 but our goal was to chase it down quickly,” Fakhar Zaman.
“We were anxiously waiting for this win, Every win in the World Cup boosts the confidence and we aim to win the remaining two matches. Our target is a semi-final.” Fakhar Zaman added.
Imam-ul-Haq, who has also struggled with the bat in the competition, was replaced in the playing 11 with Fakhar Zaman ahead of Pakistan’s pivotal 2023 World Cup match against Bangladesh. Zaman’s poor performance has come under scrutiny and missed out on Pakistan’s majority clash due to a knee injury.
My Aim Is To Always Score Runs To Help The Team Win – Fakhar Zaman
Fakhar Zaman feels that Pakistan has suffered psychological harm after suffering a humiliating loss against India. However, the left-hander opener also thinks that Pakistan, in their closely-fought contest against South Africa the team has boosted their morale.
“That loss to India made the difference, every match against India does but we fought well in the South Africa match and that fight gave us a much-needed rhythm.
“I was batting well in the nets and had the team needed me before I would have played but my aim is to always score runs that help the team win,” Fakhar Zaman further added.
The Men in Blue defeated Pakistan for the eighth time in a row in the 50-over World Cup match at the jam-packed Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Notably, Babar Azam and company saw a batting collapse that gave the hosts a comfortable victory following which they suffered a hat-trick of defeats in ongoing the marquee event.
