Pakistan’s star batter Fakhar Zaman sustained an injury that’s been described as an oblique injury by PCB during the opening match of the ICC Champions Trophy against New Zealand. It was uncertain whether he would be playing in the rest of the tournament after the confirmation of his travelling to Dubai for India Pakistan match.
However, Zaman took to his Twitter platform to confirm his dismissal. In his post, he said, “Representing Pakistan on the biggest stage is an honour and dream of every cricketer in this country. I have been privileged enough to represent Pakistan multiple times with pride.”
“Unfortunately, I’m now out of ICC Champions Trophy 2025 but surely Allah is the best planner. Grateful for the opportunity. I will be backing our boys in green from home. This is only just the beginning, the comeback will be stronger than the setback. Pakistan Zindabad,” he added
Advertisement
Representing Pakistan on the biggest stage is an honour and dream of every cricketer in this country. I have been privileged enough to represent Pakistan multiple times with pride. Unfortunately I’m now out of ICC Champions Trophy 2025 but surely Allah is the best planner.… pic.twitter.com/MQKmOI4rQU
— Fakhar Zaman (@FakharZamanLive) February 20, 2025
Advertisement
Zaman suffered an injury while fielding for Pakistan during the opening match of the ICC Champions Trophy, after which he did not field for most of the season. He returned for batting, though he did not appear to be well and scored 24 runs in 41 balls with six sixes.
Pakistan was already suffering from the absence of Saim Ayub, the star opening batter, and this could prove to be another setback for the team ahead of the Pakistan-India match on 23 February in Dubai.
As announced by ICC, Imam-ul-Haq will serve as a replacement for Fakhar Zaman for the rest of the matches. Imam has played a total of 72 ODI matches known for his left-handed batting. He has scored nine centuries and 20 fifties in the ODI history with a highest score of 150. His career best ODI ranking is of number two surpassing notable players like Virat Kohli.
He hasn’t appeared in ODI matches since 2023 where he scored his career-best batting score, so it will be interesting to see how he manages to pull off a comeback in the absence of a notable player, Fakhar Zaman.
Also Read: Will Young Smashes First Century of ICC Champions Trophy 2025
Advertisement
