RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman has revealed a clever strategy devised by Babar Azam that helped Pakistan secure a seven-wicket win over New Zealand in the second ODI at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on Saturday evening.
Fakhar Zaman, who played an unbeaten century, said during the post-match interview that Babar had instructed him to focus on playing a long innings while he would take the risks. The Pakistan captain’s reasoning behind this strategy was that if Fakhar stayed at the crease, New Zealand would not be able to bowl their left-arm spinner, and this would disrupt their plans and put pressure on the bowling side.
Fakhar, a left-handed batsman, recorded his third-highest individual score in the ODI format with an unbeaten 180. He struck 17 fours and six sixes out of 144 balls faced. During this inning, he also reached his 3,000-run milestone in ODIs. Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar got Pakistan off to a solid start, scoring 66 runs in 9.4 overs before Imam was out for 24 off 26 balls with Pakistan needing 337 runs to win.
After then, Babar Azam joined Fakhar, and the two of them added 135 runs for the second wicket. Babar reached his 25th half-century with a score of 65 off 66 balls, including five fours and a six, before being caught by Chad Bowes off Ish Sodhi. After being out for seven, Abdullah Shafique left Pakistan at 218.
With 10 balls left, Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar teamed together and batted confidently to help Pakistan reach the objective.
“Babar was telling me to take singles and doubles and to focus on playing a long innings. He said if risks are needed, he’ll take them, because if I stayed there, they wouldn’t be able to bowl the left-arm spinner, and we would disrupt their plans,” said Fakhar Zaman in the post-match interview.
Fakhar also praised Babar’s mindset and how he never comes under pressure, even if the required rate is rising. “Everyone knows what a big batsman Babar is. His mindset is very different from others – he kept telling me to stay calm, and that we’ll chase the runs easily,” Fakhar added.
The strategy worked wonders for Pakistan, as Fakhar’s unbeaten century led them to victory, and they now have a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand. The third and final match will take place on Tuesday, May 3, at the same venue.
