He got the greatest ever chaser out 2 times
The guy with the most odi double hundreds and the serial run getter in Odi Tournaments Shikhar Dhawan.
The top 3 of India were in beast mode, if Pakistan didn't strike early they could have took it close considering the kind of form they were in and India's lower order hitters.
Top 3 reason for winning CT
Fakhar Zaman(Bravery and luck)
Hasan Ali(Hardly put a foot wrong)
M.Amir ( Ct final Spell)
What are your top 3 reasons?
Don’t act like India doesn’t have the ability to chase 350. They definitely had the potential to do so that day on the flat pitch with their fully packed squad.
If a guy like Hafeez was hitting sixes imagine what Rohit, Kohli, Dhoni, Singh could’ve done if they weren’t in pressure! Remember the group stage match! We got whooped!
Amir bowling definitely was the difference. He should be appericiated!
Sarfraz's captaincy and Junaid were bigger factors than Amir. Sarfraz was spot on with his tactics, and everything that he tried worked. Yes we had luck on our side, but he was on the money tactically.
I do not like Junaid and I do not rate him either, but there is no denying that he did not put a foot wrong in that tournament. He bowled very well in every match, and was one of the key reasons why teams were not able to post big totals. Him replacing Wahab after the first match changed the complexion of our bowling attack.
Amir had zero contribution in two must-win games (South Africa and England), and he got injured before the death overs in the first ODI vs India, allowing them to score 15-20 runs more than they would have. I am not blaming him for getting injured, but that was his contribution.
He was among the flop of the tournaments before the final, but that spell in the opening overs restored his dignity. However, let's not forget that he had the luxury of defending the largest total ever in an ICC tournament history.
At best, he was the fifth major reason for Pakistan's triumph, and is his contribution in the final was not more crucial than the contributions of Azhar and Hafeez.
Fakhar was all over the place in the initial overs, and it was Azhar who took control of the innings earlier on and put pressure on the Indian bowlers. He punched well above his weight by striking at 80+, because if he would have played in his usual mode, he would have suffocated the innings as he normally does and India would have been all over Pakistan.
As far as Hafeez is concerned, his quick-fire 50 put India on the ropes. Both Babar and Malik failed when they decided to go for big shots, and Hafeez was the last man capable of scoring quick runs. Imad was clearly struggling to hit big, and Sarfraz would not have been able to do much against the likes of Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar, considering his weak hitting ability.
Without Hafeez Pakistan would probably have had to settle for a sub 300 score, which could have changed the complexion of the game.
By no means was Amir among the top three reasons for Pakistan winning the trophy. He did not even make the team of the tournament, and he wasn't even the 12th man. Both Hasan and Junaid made the team ahead of him, and for good measure. He wasn't one of the best players in the tournament by any measure.
My top reasons for the Champions Trophy triumph:
1) Hasan
2) Fakhar
3) Sarfraz's captaincy
4) Junaid
and after the top four, Amir, Azhar and Hafeez can be ranked in any order. Perhaps, Amir should pip them to the 5th position because both of them failed against Sri Lanka, while Amir played an important cameo. Nonetheless, there isn't much between the three.
<a href="https://t.co/DtyJMHlrpi">https://t.co/DtyJMHlrpi</a> <a href="https://t.co/H5XiCmQces">pic.twitter.com/H5XiCmQces</a></p>— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/996021903142871041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
