Arthur basks in title glory

London – Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur (above) has described the “surreal” feeling of watching his side bounce back from a drubbing by India in their tournament opener.

Having lost their first match against long-standing rivals India by 124 runs, Pakistan completed an extraordinary turnaround to reach the final, where they beat the same opponents by 180 runs to lift the ICC Champions Trophy at The Oval on Sunday.

“It sort of feels surreal really, to be honest,” said Arthur, who coached the Proteas from 2005 to 2010 and Australia from 2011 to 2013.

Arthur said he hoped the win would nourish passionate fans starved of watching their team play at home.

“I hope that the nation of Pakistan are really happy tonight because they deserve it. For what they’ve been through – you talk about our players not playing at home.

“But also the fans not identifying with heroes because they just don’t see international cricket. That’s massive for the country. So let’s hope this really kick-starts that momentum in Pakistan again.”

India captain Virat Kohli could do little more than praise opponents who did everything right on the day.

“We give our best every time we go out on the field, and I’m really proud of the way the team has played in this tournament.

“But you have to accept that the other team has outplayed you and they’ve shown better skill than you, they’ve shown better composure in pressure situations than you.” – ANA