Image Credit- ICC
Following a thrilling pursuit that kept Pakistan’s
aspirations for the World Cup alive in a wet Bengaluru on Saturday, Fakhar
Zaman was in a contemplative frame of mind. He gave off the impression of being
a serious thinker who adheres to his principles and values the people who have
supported him thru thick and thin on his journey to atonement. Relief was also
palpable.
“At this level, there are always ups and
downs,” he said after his century. “The Asia Cup didn’t go well for
me. I had a highest of 30? [27]. It wasn’t a good time. I went over to Peshawar
to work with Aftab Khan [Pakistan’s fielding coach] at his academy. He’d
pointed out my weakness against offspin. He was an offspinner, so I worked a
lot with him.”
It seemed unthinkable that Fakhar would have to wait
his turn to return to the side if he picked up an injury or niggle during his
three consecutive ODI hundreds against New Zealand in April, including a
landmark 180 not out that helped seal Pakistan’s second-highest ODI chase.
But as the World Cup approached, Fakhar experienced a
run of poor results—11 innings without a half-century—which increased the
pressure on him to break out of a slump that got worse by the day.
“Every player who performs says ‘I did this, I
did that’. But when I had the time off [after the Asia Cup], I didn’t
rest,” Fakhar said. “I was at home for just two days and then I went
straight to Peshawar to train. I want to dedicate this performance to Aftab
Khan.”
“The things he’s shared with me, the time he’s
given me – not many people give you that kind of dedication. You need such
people. When performances happen, the hard work is seen. When you don’t, it’s
not seen. But it doesn’t mean we haven’t put in the work.”
Fakhar then elaborated on Pakistan’s methods towards
trying to scale down New Zealand’s 402. They decided to “play
properly” for the first four overs and then take the attack to the
bowlers. It’s within these four overs that he and Babar Azam decided to step up
and “be ahead of the target at all times.”
“The wicket was very good, there was no turn,
nothing,” Fakhar said. “Rain was at the back of our mind. We knew [of
the forecast] from yesterday. That’s why after 15 overs, we [Babar and himself]
sent a message upstairs to the management to give us the target for 20 overs.
“We wanted to try and make it up [in those five
overs]. At this level, planning is important. It’s difficult otherwise. We had
planned for this. So when we got 10 runs ahead, close to the 20th over, we
played out [Trent] Boult because we knew we were well ahead.”