Pakistan’s hero in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final Fakhar Zaman has said that he was ‘disappointed’ by the way MS Dhoni reacted when he scored a century in the match. Zaman scored 114 runs off just 106 balls as Pakistan ended with 329/4 batting first at The Oval.
“I was a little disappointed by MS Dhoni as he did not show much reaction after my hundred,” Zaman was quoted by PakPassion.net. But, Zaman later added that he looked at India captain Virat Kohli after scoring the hundred and saw him clapping.
“When I was batting well, Kohli and others were saying things to me so when I got to hundred I thought they would ignore it but when I looked at Kohli, I saw that he was looking down but graciously clapping for me,” Zaman said.
Zaman would not have reached the three-figure mark in the final but a no-ball from Jasprit Bumrah gave him life. Zaman was caught behind when batting on three off Bumrah but third umpire saw replays and it was called a no-ball.
“When I was caught behind, my heart sank. I was stunned and slowly started making my way back to the dressing room with all my hopes and dreams crushed. I kept thinking how could I lose my wicket here, I was supposed to score big, not get out on three.
“When the umpires stopped me, it was like a new hope. It felt like a new life. I thought to myself if this is a no-ball then today is surely my day,” Zaman said.
On whether he was sledged or not, Zaman said that in the semi-final against England and in the final against India, some players tried to sledge him.
“When we played against England, almost 80 per cent of the fans were our supporters. Azhar Ali kept on telling me to play other shots but I kept on telling him that if I middle (the ball) it will be a four on mid-wicket and a six if I top edge it,” Zaman said.
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