Champions Trophy 2017 Final Archives

‘Best spell I witnessed in my life’ Rumman lauds Amir’s CT 2017 final blitz

KARACHI: Pakistan fast bowler Rumman Raees has spoken highly of fellow pacer Mohammad Amir for his outstanding spell during the Champions Trophy 2017 Final against India, calling it the ‘best spell’ witnessed by him in life.

Left-arm quick Amir wreaked havoc on India’s top order in that memorable encounter with arch-rivals, dismissing the star-studded trio of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli, to help Pakistan achieve one of the most glorious feats in history.

Rumman, who was part of Pakistan’s 2017 Champions Trophy squad, recalled that magical opening bowling from Amir and expressed his admiration for then teammate by rating it above all the other spells he had seen in his life.

“Mohammad Amir’s spell is the best spell I’ve witnessed in my life,” he said in an interview with Youtuber Nadir Ali.

“Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan were all in their top forms but the way he bowled against them was simply exceptional. In fact, I forgot my grief for not being part of the team”

“I was sitting in the dugout along with Faheem Ashraf and Ahmed Shahzad and all three of us found it mesmerizing to see his swing and all (the action) from that angle,”

Furthermore, he disclosed that the atmosphere at The Oval had changed drastically as the Indian team supporters started to leave the ground after Amir’s spell.

“It was all blue,” he recalled the atmosphere inside the stadium filled with Indian fans. “But once Amir got wickets of Rohit, Kohli and Dhawan, their supporters started to scatter”

“Later on, the atmosphere turned from blue to green and then the way our fans chanted slogans was simply exceptional.”

It is worth mentioning here that Pakistan outclassed India by 180 runs in the 2017 Champions Trophy final to win the title for the very first time.

Amir’s sensational figures of 3 for 16 in six overs helped Green Shirts to bowl out India for 158 while chasing a mammoth 339-run target. Fakhar Zaman, on the other hand, bagged the Player of the Match award for his magnificent century.

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‘I don’t take it seriously’ Amir replies to Rohit’s ordinary bowler statement

KARACHI: Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir has called Rohit Sharma’s statement a personal opinion while claiming that he does not take it seriously for calling him an ordinary bowler before Champions Trophy 2017.

Amir, while speaking on ARY News’ show Bouncer (Champions Trophy Special), replied to Rohit Sharma, who called him a normal bowler, that he did not take the latter’s statement seriously and there was nothing to be felt bad about it.

“I don’t take Rohit Sharma’s statement serious,” claimed Amir. “Everyone has its own opinion and it is impossible that everyone regards me as a world-class bowler.”

“There is nothing to be felt bad about it and as a professional, we should not take such things in a negative way. You cannot be everyone’s favourite,” he added.

Amir recalled his encounters with the Indian opener while claiming him a world-class batsman.

“No doubt he is a world-class batsman”, claimed Amir. ” I bowled well every time I have faced Rohit and he struggled while facing me, still I will call him a world-class player”, he concluded.

Indian batter Rohit Sharma called Amir a “normal bowler,” while saying the hype around him was unjustified when the Pakistan pacer was making a return, back in 2016.

It is pertinent to mention here that Amir dismissed the Indian opener Rohit on a duck in his magical first over and produced an overall incredible bowling performance in the Champions Trophy 2017 final against India as he returned with a bowling spell of 3-16.

READ: Sarfaraz-Amir partnership against Sri Lanka gave us momentum: Hafeez

Amir credits Sarfaraz, Mickey for match-winning spell in CT 17 Final

KARACHI: Former Pakistan left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir credited the former captain and head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and Mickey Arthur respectively for his match-winning spell in the final of the Champions Trophy 2017 against the arch-rival India.

Amir, while speaking on ARY News’ show Bouncer (Champions Trophy Special), recalled his match-defining spell against the defending champion India when he dismantled the strong Indian top-order comprised of the then top-ranked batter Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Shikar Dhawan.

“Look people always laud my spell against India in the Champions Trophy but I think the credit for such performance goes to each and every player, who made their contribution in the process like Hasan, who was the best bowler of the tournament, Junaid Khan, and Rumman Raees, who did well in the semi-final against England,” Amir stated.

“The credit for my performance goes to Safi Bhai [Sarfaraz Ahmed] and Mickey Arthur the most since they showed confidence in my abilities and backed me despite coming out of the injury. Rumman, too, had done brilliantly in the semi-finals, so they had a strong reason to carry the same Playing XI and drop me but they didn’t and thankfully I didn’t let them down,” he maintained.

The left-arm pacer further recalled the incidence of the then top-ranked batter Kohli’s drop catch by the former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali and claimed his aggression was brief and it was beneficial for the team that he got out on the very next ball.

“When Virat’s catch was dropped, no doubt I was furious and I think that was natural as a bowler when you see that a catch has been dropped on your bowling and the bowler gets aggressive for a couple of seconds but I think it is a part of the game and anyone can drop a catch,” Amir said.

“Ajju Bhai [Azhar Ali] is very respectable for me because he is such a nice human being. We share a bond of mutual respect. I think we didn’t need to think about that since he was gone on the next ball and Shadab grabbed an outstanding catch and then Azhar Bhai was adoring me,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention here that Amir produced an incredible bowling performance in the Champions Trophy 2017 final against India as he returned with a bowling spell of 3-16.

READ: ‘I told players we’d return wearing white coats’ Sarfaraz recalls CT 17 glory