India had Dhoni, Rohit, Kohli, Yuvraj….we had two-toothed toddlers: Sarfaraz Ahmed on 2017 Champions Trophy Final
The 2017 Champions Trophy win is part of Pakan cricket’s folklore. An India-Pakan final. A 180 run win against your arch rivals. It all went smoothly for the men in green, who had been bested the Virat Kohli-led side earlier in the tournament.
The then Pakan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed however, remembers feeling that a total of 338 wasn’t going to be enough to defend against a powerhouse Indian batting lineup. He’d share the same on Nadir Ali Podcast.
“This is a memory (winning the Champions Trophy) which I can never forget,” Sarfaraz said. “To win a final against India cannot be described in words. Had it been a normal match, it wouldn’t have been such a big deal. We had won matches against India earlier as well, in ICC events, bilateral series – in fact, we have won more. But to win against such a team, which could chase down any total was incredible.”
He further added, “No runs were enough for them. India had MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, whereas we had two-toothed toddlers. We had kids, who today are taking Pakan cricket to greater heights. Babar Azam, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan Faheem Ashraf, they were all young players. If you compare their team with ours, there was absolutely no comparison. We had only 2 experienced players in Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik. The rest of the guys were so raw and new.”
Pakan went on to win the competition after losing their first game to India 124 runs. Sarfaraz recalls feeling the pressure as a captain early in the tournament.
“When I played my first match as a captain, I was under immense pressure. Didn’t know the consequences. It is different playing as a player. So when we reached the final, in the huddle I just told the players one thing ‘Look guys, the kind of cricket which we have played, such a comeback has rarely been seen in the hory of Pakan cricket. Today, if we give our 100 percent effort, this match will be in our grasp,’ he said.
