From being banned in the village to becoming Pakistan's 'Fakhar'
Fakhar Zaman was once banned from playing cricket in his village and beaten by his brothers because he was simply too good — but he has returned a hero after his starring role in Pakistan's Champions Trophy win.
His eyes bright, the tall 27-year-old posed for selfies and was garlanded with flowers as he was welcomed back to his home in Katlang in northwestern Pakistan.
Fakhar said he was still taking it all in after he top-scored with 114 off 106 balls to lead Pakistan to a shock victory over arch-rivals India in the final, after making his ODI debut earlier in the tournament.
“I did not feel much at that time,” Fakhar told AFP, referring to Sunday's final in London. “Then I came here, and people started coming here ... They all are giving me love, so now I feel that I have done some great heroics.”