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Today's Paper | December 22, 2024

Published 02 Jun, 2017 04:27pm

Throwback: Top moments from Pakistan's Champions Trophy history

Second only to the Cricket World Cup, the ICC Champions Trophy takes the cricketing world by storm every two years.

While it has mostly been a disappointing outing for Pakistani cricket fans so far, there have been moments in the tournament's history that stand out as memorable, if not unforgettable.

Afridi's blitz against India

During the 2004 edition of the tournament, Pakistan were head to head with arch-rival India. Holding true to the tradition of Pakistan-India cricket rivalry, the match was suspended in a tricky situation.

Pakistan were in search of 49 runs with 58 deliveries in hand when Shahid Afridi walked out on the field. Measuring his chances, Afridi played doubles and singles until Irfan Pathan came on to bowl — and then he unleashed his inner "boom boom".

His classic power-hitting earned him 25 off just 12 balls. The blitz helped push Pakistan closer to the victory line. Mohammad Yousuf (then Yousuf Youhana) eventually sealed the win with four balls to spare.

The painful Rawalpindi Express

Bowling against the great Brian Lara was every bowler's nightmare, but it is also an opportune challenge to prove your worth as a bowler. Akhtar's take on it was quite straight-forward. As the saying goes; If you can't beat'em, hurt'em.

Explore: Lara just glad he's not facing Shoaib

Razzaq's signature batting against Sri Lanka

Abdul Razzaq was known for his reliability. His steadiness and momentary outbursts with the bat and ball gave him a crucial role in the line-up.

Explore: A hurricane called Abdul Razzaq

In this match, played during the 2006 Champions Trophy, Sri Lanka's formidable batting attack had put up 254 runs on the scoreboard for Pakistan to chase. When Razzaq the all-rounder came in to bat, Pakistan needed 53 runs off 47 balls. The match could have swung either way, but Razzaq seamlessly ushered Pakistan to victory, making it look like a practice match.

Fahim Ashraf's memorable debut

A well-timed half century from Fahim Ashraf had helped Pakistan achieve victory while the team chased down a hefty target of 341 runs in a warm-up game against Bangladesh in the 2017 edition of the tourney.

The young debutante shined as he scored 60 runs off 34 balls in the Champions Trophy warm-up match Coming in at number nine, he helped add 93 in 41 balls for the ninth wicket to take his side to an unlikely victory.

Afridi takes the trophy to Karachi's Edhi orphanage

— PCB

As Pakistan's ambassador for the tournament, Afridi unveiled the trophy at a number of locations across Pakistan earlier this year. Afridi, a keen philanthropist himself, also took the Champions Trophy to an Edhi orphanage in March 2017.

The smiling children made it a moment to remember, albeit outside the field.

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