Pakistan thrashed India by 180 runs in the final yesterday to lift their maiden Champions Trophy title.
"This is one victory that Pakistan fans will remember for long. It has been an ultra-quick turnaround from no-hopers to champions for the Pakistan players and the manner in which the team won the match was really impressive," Afridi wrote in his column for the ICC's official website.
"Rarely have I seen Pakistan deliver such a clinical performance in a tournament decider and annihilating hot favourite India came as a pleasant surprise," he added.
Afridi lauded the performance of centurion Fakhar Zaman and the tournament's leading wicket-taker Hassan Ali besides congratulating captain Sarfraz Ahmed.
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"Pakistan has unearthed new heroes in a span of 14 days. From Fakhar Zaman to Hassan Ali and Shadab Khan, Pakistan has shown the world its rich talent and pedigree. In Sarfraz, it now has a captain who can perhaps take the team to unprecedented glory in the years ahead," he said.
Afridi said the celebration of yesterday's win in Pakistan was similar to the "unbridled joy" that the country's fans felt after the team's 1992 World Cup triumph and 2009 World T20 title win.
Afridi singled out Zaman for high praise.
"I would rate his performance as arguably the greatest by a Pakistani in a world event final considering that this was only his fourth ODI and first ever against India," he said.
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