June 22, 2017
KARACHI: Pakistan’s newest sensation Fakhar Zaman, who burst onto the international cricket stage with his quickfire batting and stunned India with a hundred in the Champions Trophy finale, has finally revealed what goes on behind the scenes of his fearless approach.
Speaking in Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Ky Saath’, Fakhar, a former Navy sailor, said he does a lot of mental work the night before the games.
“I do not have any fear. I prepare myself mentally before every game. This mental work drives away any fear and helps me focus on the match ahead,” he said.
The 27-year-old, whose name means ‘pride’ in Urdu, said the team worked very hard to bounce back after the defeat to India in the opening game.
“We all sat together, the team, management, everyone. Shoaib Malik especially helped to boost our morale. He gave a speech which lifted our confidence.”
On his family’s response to his stellar performance in the Champions Trophy, Player of the Final Fakhar said his mother always wanted him to score a hundred and nothing less.
“When I scored fifties in the matches before the final, she said to me, ‘why aren’t you scoring a hundred? You used to score hundreds in domestic matches then why are you only scoring fifties now?’” he said with a smile.
“So when I scored a hundred against India in the final, she started crying with happiness,” he added.
Also speaking on the show, the victorious captain Sarfraz Ahmed gave credit to the team management and all the players for lifting the team after the initial defeat.
“We had a serious pep talk after our first game. We decided not to let the defeat weigh us down and from there, we kept on winning,” Sarfraz said.
The skipper also revealed his thoughts after losing the toss in the final and the dropped catch of Kohli.
“After we lost the toss I said to my team, whatever happens is by God’s will and it is for the better. Let’s do our best.”
“After Kohli’s catch was dropped [by Azhar], I said that do not worry, God will help us and compensate for it. And you saw that right off the very next ball, he was out.”
Hasan Ali, the winner of the Golden Ball and Player of the Tournament, discussed his famous celebration style on the show.
“I know some people are comparing it to a generator, bomb. It is just for fun. Cricket is also an entertainment and my celebratory style is an expression of my happiness,” Hasan said with a laugh.
“I enjoy it when my fans imitate my style,” he added with a smile.
