‘I told players we’d return wearing white coats’ Sarfaraz recalls CT 17 glory

LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed recalled the iconic 2017 Champions Trophy title victory and revealed that he told them they would return in white jackets.

Following the fifth anniversary of the Pakistan Champions Trophy win, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released a video of former captain Sarfaraz, who recalled the journey of the historic win.

The former captain recalled the start of his 2017 Champions Trophy journey against arch-rivals India and revealed that the team had a very productive meeting after the crushing defeat.

“Our journey started with the game against India. We had a very detailed discussion after the loss where every single player and coach was present,” Sarfaraz said.

“In that discussion, we talked about how to win, the best line-up, the attitudes of our players and whether we could continue to play cricket like we did in this match.

We committed ourselves then to overcome the shortcomings of each one and the last thing I told my players is that we will return home with these white coats, ”he said.

The former captain recalled the historic final against India and stated that he had a completely different feeling as captain before stepping on the ground than he did in the first match against the same opposition.

“As a captain, I think I felt completely different in the final than in the opening match.

I was very confident and that is because our team was in good momentum and we all know that when the Pakistan team is in momentum they play brilliantly,” shared Sarfaraz.

The former captain then praised Greenshirt batting hero Fakhar Zaman, whose century propelled the team to a commendable total, while stating that his starting partner Azhar Ali provided a better drive early in the innings.

“Fakhar played an outstanding inning after losing his wicket on a no-ball. I think Azhar Ali provided better momentum than Fakhar from the beginning and Fakhar and the rest of the team had the same momentum,” said Sarfaraz.

“Whoever came out to bat played brilliantly like Babar, Hafeez Bhai and Shoaib Bhai.
we raise it [Shoaib Malik] in the batting order and he also gave the team a good blow,” he said.

Sarfaraz also recalled Mohammad Amir’s winning spell in the final, who dismantled the strong Indian top order made up of then top-ranked batsman Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shikar Dhawan. The former captain also praised former head coach Mickey Arthur for his efforts and involvement with the team.

“Then when we went bowling Amir cast a really magnificent spell and I think those spells are unique to watch and it was a match winning spell,” he said.

“It was the effort of our entire team, the way they adapted and played on the field, and our coach Mickey Arthur also worked hard for this glory and stayed involved with the team in all forecasts,” he concluded.

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