Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India] : After playing a match-winning century against New Zealand, Pakistan opening batter Fakhar Zaman revealed that his side was “praying” for no resumption of the games during the second rain break in the encounter at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Pakistan beat New Zealand by 21 runs on DLS in a high-scoring rain-effected match in Bengaluru. Babar Azam and Zaman’s phenomenal fireworks at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium helped Pakistan beat New Zealand on DLS in a high-scoring rain-effected match and keep their chances of qualification alive in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023.
A sensational partnership between Zaman and Azam inspired Pakistan to 200/1 after 25.3 overs, ahead of the required rate when the rain ended the match early.
“We were chasing 400 and that was our plan, just to see off the first 4 overs and thankfully it was my day. To be honest, I was lucky a few times but really enjoyed this inning. We know every game is a do-or-die for us and we have decided to play aggressively and we are playing with that mind so everybody is just trying to score runs,” Zaman said during a post-match presentation.
He went on to say that Pakistan was hoping the game would not resume after the second rain delay. After the weather caused the game in Bengaluru to be called off, Pakistan was rewarded with a win. Zaman stated that they wanted to play aggressively and will continue to do so throughout the competition.
“We were also praying that we didn’t want any more games to happen (while waiting anxiously in the dressing room during the rain break) because it was already 9 and half hours and we knew that DLS would come into the equation. We wanted to play with that aggressive mindset and we will play aggressively in the next game also,”
Bengaluru witnessed one of the finest hundreds in the World Cup, as Fakhar in the opening 20 overs of the innings slammed nine sixes en route to a hundred off just 63 balls. Zaman described his 126 runs knock as “his day” as New Zealand is a great side.
“This is one of the best (knocks in ODI cricket) but I will always rank my 193 in South Africa highly, I really enjoyed this game and New Zealand are a great side, so definitely one of the best,” Zaman said.
Pakistan were 21 runs up on DLS when the rain returned and got too heavy to continue, and the victory brought Babar Azam’s team up to eight points, level with New Zealand, and back into the qualification race.