BENGALURU: Hardships often help you discover a better version of yourself. For proof, ask Pakistan top-order bat Fakhar Zaman. The 33-year-old, an unsung hero on Pakistan's domestic circuit, had a dream start to the year with three consecutive centuries against New Zealand in a One-Day home series.
Then came the dip which stretched into the Asia Cup, where 27 against India was his highest score. With the World Cup looming, the southpaw went back to the drawing board and worked on the weak links in his game.
On a rain-swept Saturday evening at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, Zaman's unconquered 126 lit up the starless night. Following the 21-run win against New Zealand, Zaman revealed the backroom work that he focused on after the Asia Cup.
"At this level (international cricket), there are always ups and downs. I was working hard on my fitness too because I was suffering from an injury. I didn't rest after the Asia Cup. I was home for two days and then went to Peshawar to my fielding coach Aftab Khan's academy. He was also an off spinner in his time. He worked a lot on me. Even here, I spent a lot of time with my batting coach."
After his match-winning knock, Zaman was in a reflective mood and said, "When you perform, your hard work shows, and when you don't perform, no one values that hard work."
A proven big hitter, the past year has been tough for Zaman. A knee injury flared up during the T20 World Cup in Australia and he was ruled out of the competition during a crunch time.
After the World Cup opener against the Netherlands in Hyderabad last month, where he mustered 22, Zaman was hard done by a niggle in the knee again. Although he was fit to return against South Africa (Oct 27), it wasn't until the match against Bangladesh that Zaman was considered for selection. After the crucial 81 in that win, Zaman carried that form into the contest against New Zealand. He toyed with the Kiwi attack. And as a prelude to the weather, he rained sixes and fours - 19 of them (11 sixes) to pulverise the Kiwi attack.
While he was on the bench, Zaman revealed that he was plotting his return. "With the batting coach (Andrew Puttick), we got 30 minutes, and I was there ahead of time to put in the work. Now that I have got the runs, it's easy to say it was all my hard work. But at this level, everyone works hard and pushes the limits to succeed," he said.
