While Ian Bishop’s immortal utterance of “Remember the name” is rightly remembered as one of the most iconic commentary lines of all time, the more churlish might wonder if it wasn’t a bit redundant.
Carlos Brathwaite might have come into the World T20 final as a relative unknown, but surely his deed by itself ensured he would never be forgotten? A post-match presentation with Temba Bavuma showed you can never be too careful, and that reminding the audience of a hero’s name is always worth doing.
Fakhar Zaman had just played an innings to put even Brathwaite in the shade, the ultimate lone hand, and arguably the greatest knock in an ODI defeat. Chasing 342 to win, Pakistan seemed gone at 202-7, only for the opener to take them practically single-handedly to within striking distance of victory before being dismissed in controversial circumstances.
His 193 broke the record for the highest score in an ODI chase, and he contributed 59.57 per cent of Pakistan’s eventual 324-9. The next highest score in the innings was just 31. Bavuma had his hand in ensuring the effort continued too, dropping Zaman in the 47th over.
Zaman is far from an unknown either, having smashed a century in the final of an ICC global event – the 2017 Champions Trophy – and being one of the select few to notch a double hundred in ODIs. The homophonic properties of his forename are another reason why his moniker is more memorable than most.
And yet, whether overcome by the majesty of the innings, or still reeling from the almighty fright he had been given, seeing his first win as ODI captain nearly slip through his fingers, the diminutive batsman simply couldn’t recall Zaman’s name when praising him.
“I was not expecting that kind of onslaught from the batter, sorry I forgot his name,” he said after play. Take it from Bish, Bavuma. Remember the name.
lol, Bavuma said "I was not expecting that kind of onslaught from the batter, sorry I forgot his name."
— Geopolitik (@geopolitiik) April 4, 2021