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Malik recalls motivational speech to Pak players during 2017 Champions Trophy, where they defeated India in final
The side led by Sarfaraz Ahmed were not the front-runners to win the title but they surprised everyone en route to clinching the Champions Trophy.
The Champions Trophy win in 2017 is one of Pakistan cricket team’s most memorable title victories in recent years. The side led by Sarfaraz Ahmed were not the front-runners to win the title but they surprised everyone en route to clinching the Champions Trophy. Pakistan comfortably defeated India in the final to win their first-ever Champions Trophy title.
Batting first, Pakistan scored 338 runs with Fakhar Zaman hitting a marvellous century. In reply, India could only manage 158 runs as they lost the match by a mammoth 180-run margin. It was a come-from-behind campaign for the Pakistan cricket team as they were on the brink of crashing out in the group stage before fashioning a famous victory.
Part of that Champions Trophy-winning squad, Shoaib Malik recently talked about the win in an interview with Cricwik where he described how he gave ‘pep talk’ to the team to inspire them to turn around their performance.
“My entire pep talk during the Champions Trophy revolved around how nobody can guarantee you a spot in the side, nor can anyone take it away from you. We were spending a lot of time practising, but we weren’t getting results,” Malik revealed.
“On that particular day, our result was very bad and ICC events are almost like knock-out tournaments due to their format. I only motivated the players to do what they do best and be confident. I advised them to not think about the result. I feel you only come under pressure when you start thinking about the result,” Malik explained.
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Talking about the upcoming T20 World Cup, 39-year-old Malik said that he is hopeful of making it to the side.
“I am positive about playing in the T20 World Cup. I feel you should try to avail all the opportunities you get. For me, the most important thing is personal satisfaction, and you only get that when you give your best shot irrespective of the opportunity. At the end of the day, your performances should help the team you are representing. That’s my first goal,” Malik said.
