Fakhar Zaman was in sublime form in Pakistan’s dominant 7-wicket win against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday (October 31). The two teams were up against each in the round-robin stage of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in what was a must-win match for both the teams to stay alive in the race to the semifinals. While Bangladesh batted first and were bowled out for 204, the foundation of a successful chase by Pakistan was laid by their openers Fakhar and Abdullah Shafique both of whom scored half-centuries and shared a 128-run opening stand.
Particularly impressive was the left-hander Fakhar who came into the team in place of Imam-ul-Haq and ended up top-scoring in the chase with a brilliant 81. One particular stroke early on his innings off Taskin Ahmed had gone viral and even left commentator Ravi Shastri stunned. Fakhar sent the ball 99 metres away over square leg. The video of the sweet connection of the bat with the ball and how it went into the crowd has been shared by ICC.
Take a look at the shot here:
Fakhar Zaman Player Of The Match in PAK vs BAN World Cup 2023
For his knock, Fakhar was adjuddged the Player of the Match.
“Time off helped. I practised a lot after the Asia Cup. I felt good in the camp. I wanted to score big but, you know, it’s cricket. I was talking to Abdullah that I’ll see off the first four overs and then hit sixes regardless of how the pitch will play because I know I can and I know my role. NRR was in our mind. After 100, we were looking to finish the game before 30 overs. After too many failures, I was just looking to score the first 30 and struggling. Hopefully, I’ll make it big in the coming games,” the 33-year-old said at the post-match presentation.”
