Fakhar Zaman was surprised when Virat Kohli applauded his hundred in the CT finals

Pakistan batting sensation Fakhar Zaman expressed that he was shocked to see Virat Kohli applauding his efforts after he got to his century in the finals of the Champions Trophy and was disappointed to see no reaction from MS Dhoni. He also revealed that fielders from the Indian and English camp tried to sledge him but avoided confrontation citing language barrier.

Fakhar and the Pakistani bowlers were responsible for single-handedly turning around their fortunes of the men in green after a dismal start to the tournament. He displayed a spark of brilliance in his cameo against South Africa. He followed it up his debut half-century against Sri Lanka.

The left-hander exhibited that the team could count on him to deliver at the big stage as he brought up yet another half-century in the semi-finals against England and his maiden ODI century against India. He kept the well established but out of form Ajmal Shahzad at bay with his form and big-hitting skills.

“When I was batting well, Kohli and others were saying things to me so when I got to hundred I thought they would ignore it but when I looked at Kohli, I saw that he was looking down but graciously clapping for me. I was a little disappointed by MS Dhoni as he did not show much reaction after my hundred” revealed Fakhar Zaman on a Pakistani TV show according to PakPassion.net.

How Zaman dealt with chirpy opposition

“When we played against England, almost 80% of the fans were our supporters. Azhar Ali kept on telling me to play other shots but I kept on telling him that if I middle it will be a four on mid-wicket and a six if I top edge it. In the England game, I was talking to the umpire in English but also knew that England players were trying to sledge me” admitted the left-hander.

In the end, he confessed that it was his inability to speak the language which avoided confrontation with Plunkett and was later lauded by the umpires for his move. “At that time, Plunkett came by me and said something to me, I just shook my head and said ‘no English’ as in I cant understand it and he went away. After Plunkett had gone, the umpire smiled at me and shook my hand and said well done” concluded Zaman.