THE CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS

On June 18, 2017, the eighth-ranked Pakistan team crushed the arch-rivals India to claim their first Champions Trophy title

The Pakistan team landed at the Heathrow to take part in the Champions Trophy. Led by Sarfraz Ahmed, they seemed to be no hopers having barley qualified. It wasn’t a good season for them in the 50-over format and they were languishing at the bottom of the eight team ICC ranking.

This Champions Trophy was the eighth edition, held in England and Wales in June 2017, and restricted to the eight top-ranked One Day International (ODI) teams in the world. Pakistan barely made it as the eighth-ranked team, just pipping the Windies.

The championship had started on a terrible note for Pakistan as they had lost heavily to their nemesis in global tournaments, India, in their opening game having been placed in the same group as them.

Pakistan won the toss and elected to field and India promptly posted a score of 319-3 in 48 overs as rain reduced the match to 48 overs per side.

Further rain meant Pakistan were set a revised target of 289 runs from 41 overs. However, Pakistan could score not more than 164 before they were bowled out in 33.4 overs to lose by 124 runs.

It was the worst possible start for the Pakistan team who had similarly begun their 2015 Cricket World Cup, then also lost to India in a pretty similar manner.

Now they went into the next game in danger of being eliminated. And it was against a strong South African side. Luckily for them, the Proteas were in their ‘choking’ mode and the Pakistan bowlers were on song. Replying to South Africa’s 219-8 in 50 overs, Pakistan were 93-3 in the 24th over and in danger of losing again.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 18 : Yuvraj Singh of India is trapped lbw as Sarfraz Ahmed of Pakistan appeals during the ICC Champions Trophy final match between India and Pakistan at the Kia Oval cricket ground on June 18, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Philip Brown/Getty Images)

They started the day reasonably well and despite an opening stand of 40 in just over eight overs by Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock, who tackled some probing swing bowling by left armers Mohammad Amir and Junaid Khan, Pakistan pegged the Proteas back once Sarfaraz brought spinners into the attack well inside the powerplay.

Imad immediately went past Amla’s prod to hit his pads with an arm ball and then De Kock — beneficiary of a not-out decision that Pakistan rued not to have reviewed as DRS showed ball hitting stumps — failed to take advantage and missed sweeping the ball.

Imad then struck with the biggest of them all as skipper AB de Villiers slashed the first ball he faced into Hafeez’s hands at the point.  Hasan Ali then rocked them back further with some arching balls that sent back Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy and Wayne Parnell in his four-over spell to restrict Proteas to the score of 118-6 in 29 overs.

Miller’s sedate unbeaten 75 and some lusty blows by the lower order got them to 219-8 in 50 overs and it seemed Pakistan had the game in control.

Almost, it could be added, as at 93-3 in the 24th over — having at one time played 20 consecutive dot balls — Pakistan were close to panicking.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 18: Mohammad Amir of Pakistan celebrates after taking the wicket of India’s Shikhar Dhawan during the ICC Champions Trophy Final match between India and Pakistan at The Kia Oval on June 18, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)

Nevertheless, the Birmingham weather of June worked for them and seeing rain around the corner Babar Azam and Shoaib Malik accelerated to ensure the score after every over remained above the Duckworth-Lewis par score. When the rain did come Pakistan’s score read 119/3 in 27 overs. That made them comfortably ahead by 19 runs on the par score at that stage, giving them a victory that kept them alive in the tournament.

With Sri Lanka having won elsewhere, the third round game became a virtual quarterfinal with the winner qualifying for the semis. Pakistan started well bowling Sri Lanka out for 236 and then racing to 74 in only 11.2 overs. Whether due to overconfidence or rash shots they then lost the initiative, collapsing to 137-6 in the 26th over.

Then skipper Sarfraz had only all-rounder Faheem Ashraf, making his ODI debut, left to support him and the two took the attack to the Lankans, adding 25 at a-run-a-ball before Faheem had his moment of carelessness.

Backing up and sent back, he casually attempted to plonk his bat in instead of pushing it along the ground. The throw from mid-off beat him by milliseconds. That still left 75 to get with just three wickets standing, though the run rate was under control.

Then began a cat and mouse chase that swung the game so many times that it made the turns in The Italian Job look ordinary.

The match see-sawed towards each combatant with Sri Lanka the favourites. Until Thisara Perera spilt a sitter at mid-on which could have been game over for Pakistan with 43 still to get.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 18: Fakhar Zaman of Pakistan celebrates reaching his century during the ICC Champions Trophy Final between India and Pakistan at The Kia Oval on June 18, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

And it was Sarfaraz, the last recognized batter who was middling the ball well. As it came to be Sarfraz swept and drove like a magician, finding the gaps and urging on Amir at the other end who must have played the innings of his life and quite clearly a most crucial one.

He ended up on 28 not out as Sarfraz cut one down to the third man for the winning runs ending on an unbeaten 61 off 79 balls.

The stress relief was clear as Sarfaraz punched the air, jumped and ran excitedly back. It had been an incredible partnership in the sense that with three wickets in hand, the two scored at five an over through their 15-over stand. And still won with over five overs to spare.

If ever a team had swum itself out of choppy waters which appeared sure to sink it, well, Pakistan would be that team.

They had done so in the 1992 World Cup and then in 2009 World T20 and now here. Almost gone but still fighting their way to semis.

Now they had their last but one challenge to go; England in the semi-finals. The lowest-ranked team up against the tournament favourites. Surely Pakistan could not repeat their escape act.

England started well. At 80-1 in the 17th and 128-2 in the 28th over, they appeared to be away. But once Shadab got Root out, England couldn’t adjust to the slow surface to be all out in the last over for 211.

This time the Pakistan top-order did not waste a good stand. Fakhar Zaman and Azhar Ali added 118 until the left-hander went back to the pavilion in the 22nd over for 54.

CARDIFF, WALES – JUNE 14: Pakistan bowler Hasan Ali celebrates after dismissing England batsman Eoin Morgan during the ICC Champions Trophy semi final between England and Pakistan at SWALEC Stadium on June 14, 2017 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

When Azhar finally fell for 76 in the 33rd over, only 39 was needed. With no need to hurry, Babar and Hafeez knocked off the runs with more than 12 overs to spare.

On a sunny day at The Oval, the two Pakistani openers walk out with some newfound confidence. It is the final of the Champion’s Trophy, said to be the last to be played as the tournament is being written off after this edition. Pakistan have never won this tournament and are up against the one team that had beaten them in this tournament and heavily; their arch-rivals, India.

Pakistan were this time confident of taking on the juggernaut of the tournament even though India thrashed Bangladesh with 10 overs and nine wickets to spare in the semis.

They were missing Ahmed Shahzad and Wahab Riaz (injured and out of the tournament) from the first game. In had come Fakhar (who had made his ODI debut in the same tournament against South Africa and had since had scores of 31, 50 and 57) and Rumman Raees who had been inducted in place of the injured Mohammad Amir in the semi-final for his ODI debut and had taken 2-44 in nine overs against England in that game. Now he nevertheless made way for Amir to return to the side.

India had Ashwin for Yadav. They won the toss and decided to bowl. They were probably looking to repeat the first game scenario and get Pakistan out for under 175. They were unchanged from the semi-final.

“Nice and hard wicket,” Virat Kohli said. “There’s a fresh wicket, even grass covering and we’d like our bowlers to exploit it. Then we like chasing….We don’t take the opposition for granted and today is no different. No matter what they bring, we are believing in our abilities.”

“We also wanted to bowl first,” said Sarfraz. “But the toss is out of our control. Hopefully, we can post more than 300. I said when we arrived here, we have nothing to lose and we have nothing to lose today too.”

Five of the previous six Champions Trophy finals have been won by the chasing team. Perhaps both the captains had this in mind.

Still, it seemed a bit odd for Sarfaraz to want to bowl first after he’d seen what India did to them in that first game batting first. Not to forget a similar treatment by them in the opening match of the 2015 World Cup.

India opened the bowling with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah and facing them were Azhar and Fakhar.

India started with a maiden and someone quips that in the group game they started with a maiden against Sri Lanka and lost. Prophetic words? Has to be seen. It was a cautious start. It was seven for no loss after the first three overs. 

Bumrah with his straight arm action angled one across Fakhar who lunged for it and got an edge that went straight to Dhoni.

Fakhar was walking dejectedly until umpires asked him to hold on while they checked for a no-ball. All eyes were on the electronic scoreboard. Thereafter on Bumrah’s front foot as it agonizingly comes down in slow motion. And it was over the line! It was a no-ball and Fakhar was called back.

Had Bumrah done a Herschel Gibbs when the South Africa opener dropped Steve Waugh in that epic 1999 World Cup match as he celebrated the catch too soon at short midwicket? Time will tell.

But time did tell as Fakhar made Bumrah and the rest of the Indian bowlers pay dearly. He may not have had the most appealing technique or elegance but he managed to get most shots away from the middle of the bat even as he seemed to fall away almost every time. At the other end, Azhar was sedate and playing more orthodox cricketing shots.

The pair put on a grand opening stand of 128 in just 23 overs before Azhar was run out following a mix-up. But not before he’d made 59 off 71 balls.

In walked Babar Azam on a more than decent platform set up by the openers. Fours and the odd six continued to flow and India were rattled.

This was not what they had thought would happen especially after their domineering win in the first game.

The score reached 179-1 after 30 overs and Fakhar was on 96. He raised his score every time he came out to bat in the tournament and he was on the verge of a mind-boggling hundred considering his technique and strokeplay-on-the-edge.

True to his style of play on that day, he almost fell over while sweeping Ashwin for a four which completed his maiden hundred. His first in the ODIs and what an occasion to post it – against arch-rivals India in the final of a global tournament.

Fakhar hit another enormous six before he was out for 114, skying the ball to point. He went the way he got his runs, hitting with abandon, hitting 12 fours and three sixes off 106 deliveries.

It had been a daredevil innings, especially considering that he had a second coming. Many batters would be cautious after that. As Kohli said of his innings after the match: “I think 80 per cent of his shots were high-risk — and they were all coming off.”

India may have got rid of Fakhar finally but by then Pakistan had reached 200 in 33 overs and unless India could get 2-3 wickets quickly, the game was getting away from them.

The fact remained that they didn’t and of those who batted and got out, only Malik failed to get a score of at least 45. Babar got 46 and even someone as careful a stroke player as Hafeez batted out of his skin and raced to 57 not out in only 37 balls with four fours and three sixes! Sarfraz even held himself back and sent in Imad Wasim who finished on 25 not out.

So ended a remarkable afternoon for Pakistan. They had blazed to 338-4 in their 50 overs, the highest-ever in a Champions Trophy final, their second-highest in ODIs against India and also the second-highest (by nine runs only) in the history of Champions Trophy.

But that total from New Zealand had come against the USA, an associate team that featured only once in the 2004 edition.

India’s openers walked in. They had the batting powerhouse to the juggernaut that total but were aware that Pakistan bowlers were spruced up based on their success in the semi-final where they bowled out a strong England batting. Not only that but they also held back South Africa and Sri Lanka to under 250.

The first ball that Rohit Sharma faced from Mohammad Amir was angled across and he got an inside edge.

Second, he left but the third was almost unplayable. It swung in the air at a ferocious pace and slammed into the pads as India’s star opener played across it. Pakistan players appeal ferociously. Given! Gone lbw and India were nought for one.

Kohli walked in to face Amir and it was a box office affair. Played around for a couple. Then Azhar dropped him at slip! ‘Has he dropped the Champions Trophy?’ the cliché is heard in many media quarters. Amir trudged back disappointed, turned and ran in again. On a good length, moving away. Kohli made the mistake of trying to flick to the on-side a ball on off stump. Leading edge, straight to Shadab at the point. The screams of Pakistani fielders pierce The Oval walls. The Indian captain was out. Incredibly it was 6-2.  

The Indian team were now in tatters. Their two stars were gone, diminished. Now Shikhar Dhawan and Yuvraj Singh were their hopes.

Dhawan got going striking fours off Amir and Junaid but eventually, the Karachi Kings pacer got him too; this time caught behind. It was 32-3 in the ninth over. And when Yuvraj went lbw to Shadab, India gave up.

They were soon in total disarray at 72-6 in the 17th over. Hardik Pandya nevertheless challenged the flow of the game and hit massive sixes. Could he do a Botham ’81? With half the overs gone, the score was a little under half of Pakistan’s final total.

Jadeja was at the other end and it seemed he didn’t believe in Pandya as he refused to sacrifice his wicket when he turned back the hard-hitting all-rounder. Pandya walked back furious, 76 to his name with six sixes and four fours.

India gave up after that and Pakistan rubbed it in. And when Bumrah skied a cut and Sarfraz gleefully, ecstatically grasped it all celebrations broke loose.

Pakistan fielders ran into a huddle and hugged and jumped and didn’t know just what to do, such was their joy at winning the Champions Trophy from nowhere really.

The 8th -ranked team had cut down all the higher-ranked teams to not just reach the final but win it.

There was talk that Pakistan had got those wickets because some of the India batters batted carelessly if not casually.

That was shut up by India captain Kohli himself when he said in the press conference: “They made us make those mistakes because of the way they were bowling and the way they applied the pressure in the field.”

Earlier in the post-match presentation ceremony, Kohli acknowledged the spirit and mental strength of the Pakistan players as he congratulated the winning side.

“They had an amazing tournament, the way they turned things around, speak volumes for the talent they have. They proved it again, they can upset anyone on their day,” he said.

Indeed it was the sheer talent that no doubt was channelled positively by the captain and coach. Players like Fakhar, Babar, Shadab, Faheem, Hasan and Rumman had entered the Pakistan side at most a year back and were playing their first global tournament; within that Fakhar, Rumman and Faheem made their ODI debuts in these matches.

Yet they all shone at crucial moments for their team.  Hasan, twice Player of the Match, was Player of the Tournament as well as Bowler of the Tournament with 17 scalps to his name.

Even though every match after a heavy defeat in the first was an eliminator for them, Pakistani players won the Player of The Match award in all of those four matches.

That is all the more reason to say it was possibly the greatest upset as the lowest ranked team had beaten a team ranked at the top two in the ODI rankings, after having beaten the top-ranked and hosts England in the semi-finals. The margin of victory — 180 runs — was the most in an ICC event final that included World Cup finals as well.

And as the confetti rained down and the Pakistani team in the white coats — reserved for the champions — converged on the signboard that read ‘Champions’, a sense of disbelief turned into rapture across the ground, across a nation, across the world. Pakistan had become the champion of champions.

Sohaib Alvi has been covering cricket at home and abroad for over 40 years as columnist, editor, analyst, TV expert/host. An MBA from IBA he has simultaneously had a 35-year career in the corporate sector, having worked in C-Suite positions. He now advises clients on leadership, business strategy, marketing and organizational planning.