Karachi: Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman, who became overnight hero following his match-winning knock against India in the ICC Champions Trophy final, has credited former captain Shoaib Malik for inspiring and motivating the team after it's disastrous start to the tournament.

Zaman, who won the Man-of-the-Match award for his scintillating century in the final against India, said Malik had boosted the team's morale with his inspirational talk after morale-shattering loss against the archrivals in the tournament opener.

Zaman returned to Peshawar on Tuesday to a hero's welcome from where he journeyed by road to Mardan, his birth place.

"Shoaib Malik spoke to us after the loss to India and he said things about our proud cricket history that really hit us. His speech inspired us. I think it breathed new life into our campaign. We decided at that meeting that we will play all remaining matches with a changed approach and be more aggressive," he said.

The opener also said after reaching the final they were very keen to give the nation an Eid gift. "More than anything, we wanted to show the world that even though we don't have international teams coming to play here we are a powerhouse in world cricket," Zaman added.

Zaman, who nearly missed the final due to a stomach bug, said he had almost given up on playing the summit clash, as he was vomiting and had acute stomach pain the night before. (PTI)