‘We were a confident lot’

Pakistan bounced back from that defeat against its arch-rival by beating South Africa and Sri Lanka to qualify for the semi-finals, before sweeping England aside by eight wickets to reach the country’s first ICC Champions Trophy final, producing a magnificent display to upset the form book. 

“After the India match, we just motivated the guys,” said Pakistan’s captain after the victory at Cardiff. “Don’t worry about the India match. This is gone. We have two matches. If we play good cricket, definitely we will win this tournament. Now we are in the final. No one recognised us. So I was very happy for my team performance, and all the credit goes to my team management and my players.” 

A superb bowling display set the platform for the victory, with Hasan Ali, the Man of the Match, claiming figures of 3-35 to make him the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 10. Fellow seamers Junaid Khan and debutant Rumman Raees took two wickets each, and the three spinners performed a vital role in keeping England’s big hitters in check. 

“I was not expecting we would bowl them out for 210,” said Sarfraz. “Credit goes to the bowlers. They bowled really well, especially in the middle part, starting with Shadab [Khan]. They took Joe Root. Then Hasan came in, and he took a wicket. Then Junaid Khan, Rumman Raees. All credit goes to the bowlers.”