Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has lauded Fakhar Zaman's "one-man show" in the second ODI against South Africa which they lost by 17 runs on Sunday. Zaman's valiant 193-run knock ended in the final over of the game through a controversial run-out which was executed through a direct hit from Aiden Markram from the long-off boundary. The left-handed batsman not only missed out on a double hundred but also failed to take Pakistan over the line while chasing a target of 342 runs.
Azam pointed out details claiming that Zaman's knock was one of the best he has seen in the recent past. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Babar was quoted as saying, "One of the best innings that he (Fakhar) has played, or I have seen, especially for the clean hitting. He took his time, then built his innings even as wickets fell."
The Pakistan skipper also praised Zaman's ability to bat with the tail. He added, "The longer the game went, he built these small partnerships but his batting with the tail was outstanding. His hitting at that stage and how he managed that situation, amazing."
The Pakistan captain also revealed that the entire side was vouching for Zaman to get to the 200-run mark and felt that he could have reached the landmark through support from the other end.
Azam said, "It was a total one-man show - sadly he couldn't finish the game and he missed his double. We were really praying for him to get that double. If he had one all-rounder batting with him, it could've ended two to three overs earlier."
The third ODI of the five-match series will be played on Wednesday in Centurion.