If you listened carefully, even if you were in an airconditioned corporate box at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday night, you could hear the collective sigh of relief from the Pakistan dug-out over the din created by the fans. As Fakhar Zaman, their powerful opening batter, unfurled his powerful and characteristic range of strokes on the leg side, Pakistan looked formidable.
On his return to the XI, Fakhar showed he had lost neither his hunger for runs nor his desire to dominate bowlers. It was the kind of firepower that Pakistan were missing at the start of their innings in the matches thus far. The 134-run opening stand against Australia at the high-scoring M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru was but an exception.
With only 205 to chase for victory, Pakistan could afford a few quiet overs while Fakhar quietened his nerves. It was a deliberate ploy rather than one that was thrust on the 33-year-old by either the Bangladesh bowlers or his being out of the firing line for one reason or another. He could afford to assess the nature of the track for himself.
Fakhar was under great pressure, make no mistake about it. It was evident when he risked a single off the first delivery he faced. A nervy maiden over to Shoriful Islam followed. There were more signs of his working to clear the cobwebs of doubt in the next couple of overs before the release shot surfaced – a six over square leg off Taskin Ahmed in the fifth over of the innings.
That was all he needed to control the pressure. He had had enough of letting others control the pressure he would feel. He stepped up to the plate and delivered a resounding performance. When at the crease, he just let his predatory instincts surface and attacked the bowling. This was about much more than merely answering the critics.
It was not as if he rolled the clock back. On the contrary, he was expressing himself as he could. It has been a while coming but only he would know why he seemed to have left some of the high gear in the dressing room when he went out to bat in the past few months. Yet, when he assumed charge on Tuesday, he was a sight to behold, making even the bowlers smile when punished.
There have been some, not least Ramiz Raja, former Pakistan captain, who advocated that Fakhar be sidelined to let him introspect and find ways to lend weight to the team’s cause. Pakistan were not well served by his absence, first when they dropped him and then when he was said to have picked up a knee injury.
There was a hint of desperation in his recall. For, in six innings in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, an out-of-form Imam-Ul-Haq managed one half-century while scoring 162 runs. Coincidence or not, the bespectacled Imam was dropped barely a day after Inzamam-Ul-Haq, his uncle, quit as Pakistan’s chairman of selectors after conflict-of-interest allegations gathered steam.
All that did not matter to Fakhar, definitely not when he was in the middle. He assumed total control over the attack, striking off-spinner Mehidi Hasan Miraz for four sixes and stamping his authority over the pace bowling of Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful as well. He fell attempting his eighth six of the night, caught on the mid-wicket fence.
By that time, he had done enough to quieten the vociferous Bangladesh support cramming the popular stands at Eden Gardens. And to quell voices in Pakistan cricket that had called for his ouster in recent months. But, more importantly, he did well to show up as the Fakhar who had acquired the image of one of the most feared openers in contemporary cricket.
As Pakistan wait with hope in their hearts that a semifinal spot is still possible – they need victories against New Zealand in Bengaluru this Saturday, and England in Kolkata a week later, supported by luck in games featuring other contenders – they would wish that Fakhar, a key component in the plans, remains relentless and fires the team ahead.