JOHANNESBURG: 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 was ended on the first ball of the final over in the game as a direct hit from Aiden Markram from long-off caught him short of his crease. The left-handed batsman not only missed out on a double hundred but also failed to take Pakistan over the line in their chase of 342.
Babar pointed out details claiming that Zaman's knock was one of the best he has seen in the recent past.
"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," ESPNcricinfo quoted Babar as saying.
"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," he added.
The Pakistan skipper said the side was vouching for Zaman to get the double hundred and he feels if Zaman had got support from the other end, he could have scored 200.
"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 2-3 overs earlier," said Babar.
Meanwhile, Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan has been ruled out of the South Africa and Zimbabwe series after suffering a left toe injury. Shadab suffered the injury while batting during the second ODI. The injury has sidelined him for up to four weeks.
The third ODI of the five-match series will be played on Wednesday in Centurion.