'I Could Have Gone For A Century Too..'- Fakhar Zaman Takes A Massive Dig At Babar Azam After His Scintillating Knock vs Bangladesh

Fakhar Zaman, on Tuesday (October 31), made an impressive return to Pakistan’s playing XI. The opening batsman scored a quickfire fifty as Pakistan thrashed Bangladesh by 7 wickets to end their four-match losing streak and register a much-needed win.

After Babar Azam won the toss and opted to field first, Pakistan’s bowlers totally justified their captain’s decision. Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf had Bangladesh reeling at 23 for 3 after 6 overs. A 79-run stand between Litton Das and Mahmudullah steadied the ship for a while but Pakistan struck back to remove both of them in quick succession.

Bangladesh were eventually bowled out for 204 runs. Pakistan were expected to chase down the modest total with ease but the need of the hour was to chase it down as quickly as possible to improve the net run rate. They needed a good and a fast start with the bat and Fakhar Zaman came up with a fine knock.

He scored 81 runs off 74 balls with the help of 3 fours and 7 sixes and shared a 128-run stand with opening partner Abdullah Shafique who remained unbeaten on 68. In the end, Pakistan crossed the finishing line with more than 17 overs to spare.

Fakhar Zaman on missing out on a century:

Fakhar Zaman was looking set to score a century on his return to the playing eleven. However, he missed it by 19 runs. Pakistan was still 36 runs short of the target when the left-handed batsman perished while trying to play a big shot. Usually, batsmen do not play risky shots when they approach a hundred but the Pakistan star decided against it and explained the reason after the game.

“Because of the situation that we are in at the moment, we were looking to chase the target down in 28-29 overs, so I went hard. Otherwise, it was very easy for me to get to the 100 but our goal was to chase it down quickly,” Fakhar Zaman said in a post-match press conference.

“We were anxiously waiting for this win. Every win in the World Cup boosts confidence and our aim is to win the remaining two matches. Our target is semi-final,” he added.

Speaking further, he stated that the loss against arch-rivals India made a big difference in Pakistan’s campaign. Pakistan began their campaign with two wins before India thrashed them by seven wickets. The Men in Green completely lost the momentum after that loss and lost three games in a row.

“That loss to India made the difference, every match against India does but we fought well in the South Africa match and that fight gave us a much-needed rhythm,” said Zaman.

With 3 wins and as many losses, Pakistan is currently in the fifth spot in the points table. While their chances of progressing to the semifinal are very bleak, they are still alive in the competition.