The 2017 ICC Champions Trophy marked the eighth edition of this prestigious cricket tournament, which features the top eight one-day international (ODI) teams globally. Hosted in England and Wales from June 1 to June 18, 2017, the event concluded with Pakistan claiming their first Champions Trophy title. The eighth ICC champions trophy saw Pakistan emerge victorious for the first time. The tournament culminated in a thrilling final where Pakistan triumphed over India by 180 runs, marking the largest margin of victory ever recorded in an ICC ODI final.
Pakistan qualified for the finals by defeating the host’s(England) team by 8 wickets in the first semi-finals on 14 June 2017 and the opponent Indian team qualified by defeating Bangladesh by 9 wickets in the second semi-finals at Birmingham on 15 June. The finals and most anticipated clash between the rivals took place on the grounds of London, the Oval where the Pakistani team had witnessed a great triumph.
2017 Champions Trophy Ind Vs Pak: Match Summary
CHAMPIONS! The moment Pakistan lifted the ICC Champions Trophy for the first time after victory over India in the final at The Oval! 🏆 #CT17 #BestOf2017 pic.twitter.com/Hmh1FYxTJs
— ICC (@ICC) December 31, 2017
The finals stage was set at the oval stadium of England, where the Indian team won the toss and opted to bowl first. The Cornered Tigers(Pakistan) entered the field to lift the trophy which was visible in the way they played, dismantling the top order of the Men in Blue team. India, the favorites of the tournament, had shown dominant form, but Pakistan was eager to pull off a historic upset.
Pakistan Innings
Pakistan started cautiously, but young opener Fakhar Zaman soon took charge. He played an explosive innings, hitting boundaries and sixes, and scored his first ODI century in the high-pressure final. His impressive knock of 114 runs laid the groundwork for a formidable target of 339. Fakhar Zaman scored a century and Mohammad Hafeez contributed 57 not out from 37 balls.
Pakistan excelled in the finals, forming strong partnerships right from the start where Fakhar Zaman and Azhar Ali amassed 128 runs for the first wicket which was the highest-ever partnership for Pakistan vs India in an ICC event. Fakhar Zaman lost his partner in the 23rd over but this didn’t stop him but rather fired him more to score the next fifty in just 32 balls to complete his maiden hundred and breaking multiple records. But the team stumbled a little when Fakhar gave away his wicket to Hardik Pandya in the 34th over after scoring 114.
After the fall of the wicket of Zaman, Babar took the initiative and built another demolishing partnership with Shoaib Malik of 47(39) but this could not last long as Pakistan lost another wicket at 39.4 in the form of Shoaib Malik, this haltered their run speed and took the match a bit slower in the end, but guess the luck was in cornered tigers favor as following the quick succession of Malik, and Babar. Mohammad Hafeez took on the form and built another astonishing partnership of 71(47) with Imad Wasim scoring a whole total of 338/4.
Bowling strategy
Throughout the 2017 Champions Trophy, India’s bowling attack showcased its prowess, known for maintaining tight lines and consistently applying pressure on opponents. However, in the high-stakes final against Pakistan, they struggled to replicate their previous performances.
A critical moment occurred early in the innings when Jasprit Bumrah’s no-ball denied them a crucial wicket of Fakhar Zaman, who went on to set records, setting a challenging tone for the Indian bowlers. Despite Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s economical bowling, the lack of support from other bowlers like Umesh Yadav and Hardik Pandya allowed Pakistani batsmen to capitalize on loose deliveries.
Spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin also faced difficulties in containing runs and taking wickets, with Ashwin conceding the most runs. This breakdown in the bowling unit proved costly for India in the final showdown.
Indian Innings
After Pak scored a target of 339, the Indian team needed to chase this down in the 50 overs format where every eye was on the top-order batsman. While chasing this formidable target, the team faced a high-pressure situation in the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy. The top order needed to lay a solid foundation for a successful chase. But the Indian innings got off on a very disastrous note as the Pakistani pace spearhead, Mohammad Amir, produced a fiery opening spell.
Rohit Sharma the leading run-scorer of the tournament fell victim to Amir’s swing and seam movement, edging one to the wicketkeeper for a duck. The departure of Rohit marked the entry of the captain Kohli onto the field who tends to be India’s linchpin in run chases due to his remarkable consistency and ability to anchor the innings, however, this day luck played swings, and his innings was cut short prematurely as he fell victim to a probing delivery from Mohammad Amir after a catch missed by Azhar Ali. This Indian top-order dismissal continued with Shikhar Dhawan getting knocked out for a score of 33/3.
The only hopes left were with the middle order playing as Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni to stabilize the innings after the failure and crumbling of the top-order batsmen. Both of them tried to rebuild the innings showing resilience against Pakistani bowlers but they couldn’t hold for longer as the pak spinners approached bringing in Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim. The introduction of spin added another dimension to the challenge for the Indian batsmen, who were already grappling with the pace and swing of the pacers. Yuvraj Singh, trying to break free, fell victim to Shadab Khan’s guile, dismissed lbw for 22.
Seeing this all the stakes were on MS Dhoni and Kedhar Jadhav to do some miracles on the field but all the aspirations of the Indian fans were shattered with the wicket of Thala, at this moment half of the Indian fans turned down their TVs and started leaving the stadium with almost half of the team being back to the pavilion. But then the star performer Hardik Pandaya and the last recognized battling pair came into play and scored a mesmerizing stellar performance offering Pandya’s counter-attack to Pak bowlers. He smashed 76 runs off just 43 balls, including 4 fours and 6 sixes. His innings injected some momentum into the Indian chase, raising hopes of a miraculous comeback. But all hopes died when he was run out in the mix-up with Ravindra Jadeja.
Following the Pandya’s dismissal lower order couldn’t offer much resistance and the Indian innings folded quickly, bowled out for 158 in 30.3 overs.
Bowling Strategy
Pakistan’s bowlers, led by Mohammad Amir (3 for 16) and Hasan Ali (3 for 19), were outstanding, maintaining pressure and taking wickets at regular intervals. Pakistan’s bowling strategy revolved around early breakthroughs with the new ball, followed by tight bowling in the middle overs to contain the opposition’s scoring rate. The pace trio of Amir, Hasan Ali, and Junaid Khan provided the initial breakthroughs, while Shadab Khan controlled the middle overs with his spin bowling.
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India vs Pak 2017 Champions Trophy Final Scorecard
Pakistan’s Batting Innings
| Batter | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azhar Ali | 59 | 71 | 7 | 1 | 83.10 |
| Fakhar Zaman | 114 | 106 | 12 | 3 | 107.55 |
| Babar Azam | 46 | 52 | 4 | 0 | 88.46 |
| Shoaib Malik | 12 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 75.00 |
| Mohammad Hafeez | 57* | 37 | 5 | 3 | 154.05 |
| Imad Wasim | 25* | 21 | 1 | 1 | 119.05 |
Extras: 25 (0 b, 9 lb, 13 w, 3 nb, 0 p)
India’s Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhuvneshwar | 10 | 2 | 44 | 0 | 4.40 |
| Bumrah | 9 | 0 | 68 | 0 | 7.60 |
| Ashwin | 10 | 0 | 70 | 0 | 7.00 |
| Hardik Pandya | 10 | 0 | 53 | 1 | 5.30 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 8 | 0 | 67 | 1 | 8.40 |
| Kedar Jadhav | 3 | 0 | 27 | 2 | 9.00 |
India’s Batting Innings
| Batter | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 21 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 95.45 |
| Virat Kohli | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 55.56 |
| Yuvraj Singh | 22 | 31 | 3 | 0 | 70.97 |
| MS Dhoni | 4 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| Kedar Jadhav | 9 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 69.23 |
| Hardik Pandya | 76 | 43 | 4 | 6 | 176.74 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 15 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 57.69 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 12.50 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 11.11 |
Extras: 3 (0 b, 2 lb, 1 w, 0 nb, 0 p)
Pakistan’s Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Amir | 6.2 | 1 | 16 | 3 | 2.70 |
| Junaid Khan | 6 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 3.30 |
| Mohammad Hafeez | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 13.00 |
| Hasan Ali | 6.3 | 1 | 19 | 3 | 2.90 |
| Shadab Khan | 7 | 0 | 60 | 2 | 8.60 |
| Imad Wasim | 0.3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6.00 |
| Fakhar Zaman | 3.5 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 7.10 |
Key Highlights and Performances:
- Mohammad Amir: His opening spell was crucial, dismantling India’s top order and finishing with figures of 3 for 16.
- Fakhar Zaman: His maiden ODI century set up Pakistan’s imposing total.
- Hasan Ali: Continued his excellent form, taking 3 for 19 and maintaining pressure throughout India’s innings. He emerged as Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament.
- Hardik Pandya: His 76 off 43 balls was a valiant effort in an otherwise disappointing batting display.
India’s innings ultimately fell short of the target as they were bowled out for 158 runs in 30.3 overs. The batting collapse, especially at the top order, proved to be the decisive factor in India’s defeat. The Pakistani bowlers, led by Mohammad Amir’s fiery spell, capitalized on the early breakthroughs and never allowed India to settle into a rhythm. Despite the disappointment, Hardik came and gave his all to take this non-winnable score to a decent score but all was in vain at the last, as Pakistan ultimately became the champion defeating the Men in Blue for 180 runs.
