Sarfaraz Ahmed, Pakistan’s former captain who led the team to ICC Champions Trophy victory in 2017, shared his memories of how the team recovered from a difficult start and prepared for the final against India.
Pakistan achieved a significant victory over India in the 2017 Champions Trophy final at The Oval, winning by 180 runs while defending 339 runs. This victory marked Pakistan’s third major white-ball cricket title, following their 1992 World Cup and 2009 T20 World Cup wins.
In Champions Trophy history, Pakistan hold a 3-2 advantage over India, unlike their record in other ICC tournaments where India dominates.
Pakistan’s 2017 campaign began with a devastating 124-run loss to India. India’s strong performance was led by Rohit Sharma‘s 91, Shikhar Dhawan’s 68, and Virat Kohli‘s 81 runs.
Sarfaraz highlighted the importance of senior players like Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez in helping the team regroup, suggesting the current team needs similar guidance.
“Afterwards (following defeat to India in the group stage), we had a great team meeting, and some of our senior guys – Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez – all said their piece. You need those types of characters around you. We changed our mindset from that day. The acrimony was very good for us, we made a couple of changes to the team and it helped our confidence,” said the former captain as quoted by ICC.
Pakistan’s fortunes improved after the initial loss, securing victories against South Africa, Sri Lanka, and England en route to the finals.
The team’s improvement was aided by newcomer Fakhar Zaman‘s debut against South Africa, while bowlers Junaid Khan and Rumman Raees provided crucial wicket-taking abilities.
“We played England in the semi-finals and our bowlers were just superb. Then, it was India in the final. I was just confident our level was very high and my message to the players ahead of the final was to relax.”
The final against India saw Pakistan dominate with Fakhar Zaman scoring a century and Mohammad Amir dismantling India’s top order.
“We knew we had beaten some of the best teams, so India was nothing we had not seen. I told the guys to relax, forget the result and just give 100 per cent.”
“The rest is history. When the last wicket went down and we won, it is impossible to describe that feeling in words. When I took the last catch, I was at the gully. And I just ran. I saw Shoaib Malik and ran into his arms, I jumped into him and hugged him. The whole team then joined in. It was indescribable.”
Pakistan will start their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against New Zealand on February 19 in Karachi, followed by a match against India on February 23 in Dubai.
The tournament features eight teams divided into two groups. Teams will play three group-stage matches each, with the top two teams from each group advancing to semi-finals.
Group A consists of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and New Zealand, while Group B includes Afghanistan, England, Australia, and South Africa.
Pakistan’s Champions Trophy squad includes Mohammad Rizwan as captain, along with players like Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, and Shaheen Shah Afridi among others.
Pakistan’s schedule includes matches against New Zealand in Karachi on February 19, India in Dubai on February 23, and Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on February 27.
