ISLAMABAD, June 20: Even after the special convoy escorting Sarfraz Ahmed from the airport got within sight of his Karachi home in the early hours of the morning, it took the Pakistan captain nearly a half-hour to get from the vehicle to his house as a throng of adoring cricket fans clamored for photographs.

Fans decorated the street and waited through the night to welcome their hero, with some carrying children on their shoulders to get a glimpse of the man who led Pakistan to an unlikely win in the Champions Trophy in London.

Supporters unfurled a 70-foot (21-meter) long national flag and carried it in the street as Ahmed drove in, as police tried to clear a path.

Ahmed waved the trophy from the balcony of his house as he was showered with rose petals as the crowd chanted “Pakistan Zindabad,” meaning long live Pakistan.

“This is your trophy and we won it just because of you,” Ahmed said.

Thousands of fans stayed up late across the country to welcome home members of the Pakistan squad.

Ahmed and fast bowler Ruman Raees arrived in Karachi at 4:45 a.m. with the trophy that Pakistan had won for the first time.

Both cricketers were presented with traditional Sindhi shawls and caps at the lounge as fans, and airport officials, didn’t miss an opportunity to take selfies with their heroes.

Pakistan stunned the cricketing world on Sunday when it beat archrival and hot favorite India by 180 runs in the final.

Ahmed’s squad overcame a terrible start in the event — beaten by 124 runs in the first group match by India — to beat South Africa, Sri Lanka and England on the way to the championship match.

“Players came under pressure in the first match, but credit goes to the team management the way they motivated the players,” Ahmed said. “It was a very big victory … it will be remembered for a long time and we are enjoying every moment of it.”

Raees said he didn’t sleep for two days because of all the excitement following Pakistan’s first win in a major cricket tournament since the 1992 World Cup.

“I dedicate the win to the whole nation and we enjoyed the victory a lot, congratulations to the whole country,” Raees said.

Provincial governor Mohammad Zubair said he was proud of “son of Sindh” Ahmed and hoped the victory will ignite more energy into youngsters playing the sport.

“He is the son of Sindh province and we are here to accord him warm welcome,” Zubair said.

“We have not hosted any international team for the last 8 or 9 years, Pakistani players are barred from playing in the IPL (Indian Premier League), but I’m sure with this victory our players will get more opportunities.”

Messages such as “Champion of champions. Team Pakistan! Welcome back after such a tremendous victory” were emblazoned on banners erected at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore when the team landed.

Television footage showed supporters chanting “Pakistan Zindabad” when four of the players entered the public area at 2:30 a.m.

Player-of-the-tournament Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Babar Azam, and Ahmed Shehzad were presented with bouquets by Punjab provincial ministers.

Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif was due to receive the cricketers, but Geo Television reported he couldn’t travel to the airport at the last minute because of security reasons.

Ali took three wickets in the final and finished as the tournament’s leading bowler with 13 wickets in five matches.

Fans surrounded Ali’s car and showered it with rose petals, while the fast bowler smiled and waved from inside the vehicle.

A similar reception was accorded to man-of-the-match in the final, Fakhar Zaman, who smashed 114 off 106 balls, when he landed in Peshawar.

Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan and Junaid Khan arrived in Islamabad where a fleet of policemen a gave guard of honor to the three players at the airport.-AP

LONDON, Jun 19: An inspired Pakistan hammered a blundering India by 180 runs to lift the ICC Champions Trophy, riding on a scintillating hundred from rookie opener Fakhar Zaman and a sensational bowling spell from Mohammad Amir.

This is Pakistan s first ICC title triumph since their 2009 World Twenty20 win but more importantly it broke the jinx of not performing against India in big ticket matches.

For a team that can t play international cricket at home due to security issues, the victory has far-reaching implications.

If Zaman announced his arrival in international cricket with a match-defining knock, Pakistan cricket s enfant terrible Amir finally managed to sing a redemption song that he has been longing for.

It was a charged-up performance from Sarfraz Ahmed s underdog team with left-handed opener Zaman, after a lucky reprieve, scoring a pulsating 114 in their imposing 338 for 4.

Amir (6-2-16-3) then tormented the Indian batsmen with a devastating first spell and eventually the defending champions were bundled out for 158 in only 30.3 overs.

The match turned out to be one of the most nightmarish under Virat Kohli s captaincy.

It was a match where everything went awry for the Men in Blue from the time Kohli went out for the toss.

On a flat deck, Kohli surprised everyone opting to field, a decision prompted by the current team s ability to chase any target.

It started on a wrong note when a beautiful delivery from Jasprit Bumrah was nicked by an edgy Zaman only to be called no-ball due to overstepping. Zaman scored a ton.

The two spinners Ravichandran Ashwin (0/70 in 10 overs) and Ravindra Jadeja (0/67 in 8 overs) were then taken to the task with not a single wicket-taking delivery being bowled by the duo.

With no assistance from the pitch, their limitations were thoroughly exposed against batsmen, who were ready to use their feet.

The Law of Averages were certainly going to catch up with India s Big Three after their brilliant run in the tournament. Worse, it happened in the final.

Rohit Sharma (0), Shikhar Dhawan (21) and Virat Kohli (5) were snuffed out by Amir in a devastating first spell with three brilliant deliveries. The fate of the match was sealed.

Hardik Pandya smashed 76 off 43 balls, hit half a dozen of sixes to provide some entertainment, before being run-out due to a horrible mix-up with Jadeja. Pandya was livid but he was only delaying the inevitable.

As the final wicket fell, Oval, immersed in a Sea of Green , was euphoric in its celebration along with those eleven on the field.

The victory was achieved by one of the most de-glamorous outfit under one of the most unassuming captains in the history of Pakistan cricket Sarfraz and he deserved it more than anyone else for showing the composure one expects from model captains.

Earlier, playing his first ODI tournament, the 27-year- old left-hander got a “life” when he was batting on four as Bumrah overstepped while MS Dhoni took a simple catch behind the stumps.

Zaman made full use of the opportunity to punish the Indian attack on a day when it mattered most.

Along with senior pro Azhar Ali (58 off 71 balls), Zaman set the platform with a 128-run partnership for the opening wicket and consolidated it further with a whirlwind 72 off 63 balls with Babar Azam (46 off 52).

By the time Jadeja took a well-judged catch off Hardik Pandya to remove Zaman, the team s total had reached 200.

The final flourish was provided by veteran Mohammed Hafeez (57 off 37) with help of four boundaries and three sixes. He added 71 for in 7.3 overs with Imad Wasim (25 no off 21).

To add insult to injury, India bowled 13 wides and three no-balls in what was a woeful day for all, save Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/44 in 10 overs).

Ashwin and Jadeja got a pounding from Zaman, who would clear his front leg and muscle the deliveries through on-side, occasionally hitting the inside out shot through extra cover.

He got a few streaky boundaries upfront but then settled in to give each Indian bowler, a mighty thwack.

There was no looking back after that and was liberal help from all the Indian bowlers, who erred in length, gave away needless extras to release the pressure completely.

In humid conditions and on flattest of decks, Kohli decided to field first but his bowlers did not do justice to the faith he had shown in them.

Especially both the spinners looked clueless with no help from the pitch. Zaman and Azhar were ready to use their feet and with no turn on offer whipped them on all parts of the ground with ease. In between the two lead spinners, they were hit for 12 boundaries and five sixes.

The second Powerplay (Overs 11-40) were fully utilised by Pakistan, who scored 191 runs and bulk of those came off the spinners.

Jadeja was guilty of not varying his pace. He bowled too quick and too flat which made strokeplay easier.

Zaman s batting didn t have the grace that one normally associates with left-handers but on a true pitch where hitting through the line was easy, it suited his style.

The best part about Zaman was his ability to find the boundary at ease during the second Powerplay.PTI