Pakistan’s great escape

You just never really know with Pakistan. The men in green came into the ICC Champions Trophy as the lowest ranked of all eight teams and started the tournament with an error-strewn performance against India, sliding to a 124-run defeat.

Wayward with the ball, sloppy with the bat and calamitous in the field; Sarfraz Ahmed’s side looked like anything but a team that would share the final stage with the defending champion.

In some ways Pakistan were fortunate to be involved in the competition at all. On October 3, 2015 the team suffered a shock defeat to Zimbabwe in Harare and slipped to ninth in the ICC ODI Rankings, just four days after the cut-off date to qualify for CT17 as one of the top eight sides in the world. It was the narrowest of escapes and a defining moment in the journey the team has been on since.

Pakistan’s line-up has changed significantly since that loss, with only four of the XI that faced Zimbabwe selected for the ICC Champions Trophy: namely Azhar Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik and Sarfraz Ahmed. Crucially, there has been a change of captain too, with the energetic keeper-batsman Sarfraz replacing Azhar in February 2017.

Pakistan has made a habit of thriving in adversity over the years and Sarfraz said he never lost faith, despite the heavy defeat to India. “If we play good cricket, definitely we will win this tournament,” he told his players. His confidence now seems justified.

South Africa, ranked number one in the ICC ODI Rankings, was the first victim of a resurgent Pakistan, as Hasan Ali’s three-wicket haul inspired a morale-boosting victory in a rain-affected contest at Edgbaston.

It left Pakistan needing to beat Sri Lanka to qualify for the last four, and the team duly delivered, prevailing by three wickets in a nervy encounter at Cardiff.

Many regarded the semi-final against an in-form England side as a step too far for Sarfraz’s men, but once again Pakistan defied expectations, romping to an eight-wicket win, largely thanks to another scintillating bowling display.

And now to Sunday’s final at The Oval. A match which almost no one expected Pakistan to reach. You wouldn’t want to write them off.