Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, expressed his confidence in left-handed opener Fakhar Zaman’s batting abilities, believing that as long as Fakhar was at the crease, they could have chased a monumental target of 450 in their Men’s ODI World Cup match against New Zealand.
Fakhar’s exceptional performance, supported by Babar, resulted in an unbeaten 194-run partnership. Fakhar Zaman’s explosive innings of 126 off just 81 deliveries propelled Pakistan to a total of 200/1 in 25.3 overs before rain interrupted the game, ultimately granting Pakistan a 21-run victory via the DLS method.
Babar Azam mentioned that they initially had no rain concerns as the skies were clear but had to adapt to the sudden cloud cover. Despite the interruption, they kept a close eye on the DLS calculations and aimed to maintain a controlled run rate while preserving wickets. Fakhar’s aggressive approach included hitting sixes, despite Babar’s advice not to force the issue, making it one of the best innings Babar had witnessed.
Fakhar Zaman, reflecting on his remarkable knock, noted that it might not surpass his 193 against South Africa at the Wanderers in 2021 but described it as one of his favorite innings due to the World Cup context and the batting-friendly conditions at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
He pointed out that the pitch’s excellent quality for batting became evident early in the match, especially when Tim Southee and Trent Boult failed to generate significant swing. Fakhar emphasized that while the Wanderer’s knock might remain his best, the situation and circumstances of this innings made him very happy.