Pakistan suffered a huge setback ahead of the needle clash with archrivals India in the Champions Trophy as they lost seasoned opener Fakhar Zaman to an injury suffered while fielding in the early part of the tournament opener against New Zealand in Karachi.
Pakistan lost their opening match on Wednesday to the Black Caps and on Thursday got the news that Fakhar would play no further part in the Champions Trophy.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved Imam-ul-Haq as a replacement for the injured Fakhar Zaman in Pakistan’s squad and he will be travelling to Dubai for the make-or-break clash with India.
The ICC said in its official statement on Thursday that Fakhar has been ruled out of the rest of the competition due to an oblique injury. The replacement of a player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee before the player can be officially added to the squad.
Fakhar was obviously disappointed by the injury but said he would return stronger. He said he would be supporting the team from home.
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.
Imam, the 29-year-old opener who has played 72 ODIs and is a like-for-like replacement for Fakhar. Fakhar himself came into the Pakistan team after Saim Ayub was ruled out due to an ankle fracture.
Imam is now on the verge of playing international cricket for the first time after 2023, as Pakistan will field a new opening combination for their high-stakes clash against India in Dubai on February 23, which the defending champions need to win to stay alive in the tournament.