India, Pakistan, Asia Cup 2018
India will face-off Pakistan on September 19, Photo Credits: Getty

Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman has said Pakistan are capable of repeating their last year’s heroics in the Champions Trophy in the upcoming Asia Cup.

The last time Fakhar Zaman had played against India, he had become an overnight star in his cricket-crazy nation.  Having missed the opening-match defeat to India, Zaman turned Pakistan’s batting fortunes around with scores of 31, 50, 57 and 114 in his first four ODI innings during the Champions Trophy.

Ton Against India In The Final Of Champions Trophy My Favourite, Says Fakhar Zaman As He Gears Up For Asia Cup Showdown With India
Fakhar Zaman (Credits: Getty)

His century in the final had helped him win the Player-of-the-Match award. Pakistan had set India a total of 338 and had gone on to win the game in style. Zaman has come a long way since then. He has now cemented his spot in the team after impressing in his short career so far.

In just 18 innings, he has crossed the 1,000-run mark in ODIs. During the recent tour of Zimbabwe, he became the first Pakistani cricketer to score a double century in ODIs.  He had scored 515 in the series – the second-most by any batsman in a bilateral series. He was dismissed only twice and averaged an incredible 257.50. The impressive performance had helped him break a plethora of records.

Ton Against India In The Final Of Champions Trophy My Favourite, Says Fakhar Zaman As He Gears Up For Asia Cup Showdown With India
Fakhar Zaman (Credits: AFP)

But despite that, the southpaw has stated that the century against India in the final of Champions Trophy 2017 is the most memorable innings of his career so far.

“Despite breaking a lot of records in the recent past, my favourite innings for Pakistan is one against India in the final of Champions Trophy 2017,” he told Daily Express. “That innings made the entire nation happy and that’s what makes it memorable.”

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Zaman will have the chance to replicate his heroics again when Pakistan take on India in the Asia Cup. The tournament is scheduled to take place from September 15 to September 28 in UAE. Pakistan and defending champions India will lock horns on September 19.

Zaman said the team is preparing for the tournament and is confident of doing well.

“We are preparing adequately in order to perform to the best of our ability,” he said. “We are capable of repeating the performance we showed in the last Champions Trophy in England.”

Ton Against India In The Final Of Champions Trophy My Favourite, Says Fakhar Zaman As He Gears Up For Asia Cup Showdown With India
Fakhar Zaman (Credits: AFP)

“Players are putting in the hard yards and hopefully we will perform in accordance with the expectations of the entire nation,” he added.

 

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