India's loss to Pakistan in Champions Trophy finals named Fans’ Moment of the Year'

The ICC first began acknowledging excellent performances on the field with the introduction of its prestigious annual awards in 2004. The list of awards presented at the ICC’s ceremony includes the Cricketer of the Year across formats in men’s and women’s cricket as well as the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for overall excellence. The much-awaited ICC Awards for the calendar year 2017 were announced on January 18, 2018.

And the match which received the Fans’ Moment of the Year award was India’s loss to arch-rivals Pakistan in Champions Trophy last year. A befitting rivalry in the sport found the perfect setting at The Oval, as London’s rich community of Pakistani and Indian ex-pats turned the ground into seas of green and blue.

A hero in Fakhar Zaman

The CT ’17 was one of the most anticipated events of last year’s cricketing calendar. And successful tournament deserved a grand finale. The pre-match talk centered around whether Pakistan’s superb pace attack could possibly overcome India’s formidable top order. But the world would have to wait for Mohammad Amir versus Virat Kohli; for India won the toss and chose to field, banking on some early movement with the white ball.

Showpiece occasions always throw up unexpected heroes, and in Fakhar Zaman, a bolter who was only brought into the team after Pakistan’s opening defeat, the match had its perfect story.

The Green Shirts had earlier lost to India in the group stage. Although Pakistan began the tournament in disarray, they finished it in glory. They saved their finest for last, giving the watching millions around the world a vision of Pakistani cricket at its raw, thrilling, charismatic best.

Last year presented with a plethora of unforgettable moments.  But for all the many memorable feats and stories from cricket in 2017, nothing beats those boys in green, turning the world upside-down yet again.

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