‘I was just waiting for that moment’: Fakhar Zaman after Pakistan’s 2002 match against India at Lord’s

Fakhar Zaman’s century helped Pakistan complete their joint-most successful run in an ODI final. Fakhar Zaman has gone four matches without the performance he wanted. But the Pakistan opener knew a big innings was around the corner. He just had to wait for the right moment. That moment came in the final of the One-Day International tri-series against Sri Lanka in Lahore on Saturday. Zaman smashed 127 off 99 balls to help Pakistan chase down 326 to win the final by three wickets.Pakistan finished on 331 for seven in 48.3 overs, with nine balls to spare. It was a special win for the hosts who also equaled India’s famous record for the most successful run chase in an ODI final.Winning the man of the match award, Zaman explained how he had dealt with the lack of runs in the previous four matches and why he never changed his approach.

“I was just waiting for that moment”

Zaman admitted that he was not at his best at the start of the final. However, he continued to trust his preparation and believed that when he found his rhythm, the big scores would come.“No, look, I’ve played enough cricket now to know that when it’s my day and the ball starts coming off my bat nicely, I’m going to score big. So I was just waiting for that moment. I didn’t do anything particularly different from how I approached the previous four games. I prepared for this game in exactly the same way. But that’s the thing: when you score, then we started talking about how mentally prepared you were. just like I was preparing for the other matches Fortunately the runs came today,” said Zaman.The left-hander also spoke about his early innings struggles and how important a century was to him.“Look how my first four matches went, I felt a good performance was behind it and I tried. But cricket is such a game that sometimes you’re in really good touch but the runs just don’t come. I struggled a bit at the start today too, but luckily the runs came and that’s a good thing for me. Anytime a score seems to come,” I said.Pakistan ran into trouble early in the chase after Dilshan Madushanka dismissed Babar Azam for a five-ball duck. The Sri Lankan pacer also picked up another wicket in the powerplay.Zaman then joined Saad Baig and the two rebuilt the innings with a 149-run partnership.Baig scored 74 off 75 balls to score his maiden ODI half-century. Zaman said his young teammate’s attitude allowed him to take his time at the other end.“I have played domestic cricket with him as well and he is a very talented player. Even today when I was struggling at that stage, he came and scored quite quickly. It allowed me to relax and take my time. If he had also played slowly like me, I might have tried to take a few more chances, and if you take those chances, you can end up losing the wicket you put up. I think it was the best innings of the match,” said Zaman.

Pakistan match India’s famous record at Lord’s in 2002

Zaman’s century helped Pakistan complete their joint-most successful run chase in an ODI final. Pakistan’s chase of 326 equaled India’s famous run against England in the 2002 NatWest Series final at Lord’s.India were also chasing 326 to win by two wickets. Mohammad Kaif scored an unbeaten 87 while Yuvraj Singh contributed 69. The two played a major role in getting India out of trouble before Kaif and Zaheer Khan finished the job in a thrilling finish.More than two decades later, Pakistan equaled that feat with their own memorable chase.

Minhas and Nawaz are taking Pakistan home

Zaman’s dismissal for 127 and Salman Agha’s departure for 17 left Pakistan at 230 for five. However, Arafat Minhas and Hasan Nawaz put on 94 runs to bring the hosts close to victory.Minhas scored a valuable half-century to help Pakistan cross the finish line with nine balls to spare.Earlier, Sri Lanka posted 325 for eight thanks to Kamindu Mendis’ 131 off 128 balls and Pavan Rathnayake’s 77. The pair added 146 runs for the third wicket.Pakistan’s bowlers struggled in the final overs, with Shaheen Shah Afridi taking two wickets for 50 runs.

‘Happiness is even greater’

For Zaman, scoring in the final and helping his team lift the trophy made the occasion even more special.“Definitely. Look, whatever performances you perform during the tournament, you do it with the aim of winning the trophy. And when you score runs in the final, the joy is even greater. I consider myself lucky to have scored runs in the final today,” he said.The win secured Pakistan’s first ODI tri-series title since 2008 when they beat India in the Kitply Cup final in Bangladesh. It also helped them make amends for their defeat to New Zealand in the final of the home tri-series in 2025.