New Delhi: Pakistan included Imam-ul-Haq in their Champions Trophy squad in the place of the injured Fakhar Zaman before leaving for Dubai for their crunch clash against India.
Zaman sustained a knee injury in the second ball of Pakistan 60’s-run defeat to New Zealand in the Champions Trophy opener in Karachi on Wednesday.
The left handed opener was injured on his knee in the deep while chasing a ball in the deep at the National Stadium and took a medical time-out before returning to bat as Pakistan feel short in a 321-run chase.
Pakistan face India at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday and were allowed to replace Zaman with Imam by the International Cricket Council’s event technical committee.
“Twenty-nine-year-old Imam, who has played 72 ODIs, was named as a replacement after Fakhar was ruled out due to an oblique injury,” the ICC said in a media statement.
“Unfortunately I am 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,” Zaman wrote on socil media platform X.
Setback
Because of being away from the field, Zaman wasn’t allowed to bat as an opener during Pakistan’s run chase, forcing Saud Shakeel to take guard as a stop-gap opener with Babar Azam.
Batting at No.4, Zaman made 24 off 41 balls with four boundaries but struggled to run quickly between the wickets, and was visibly in pain as he tried to launch into big shots.
The 34-year-old had scored a century when Pakistan beat India in the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy. With experience of 86 ODIs and an average of 46, Zaman was one of Pakistan’s pivotal batters.
Zaman had been called back to the team for the tournament, having last played in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India and has persistently been toebled by his dodgy knee.
Fakhar Zaman sustained a knee injury in the second ball of Pakistan 60’s-run defeat to New Zealand in the Champions Trophy opener in Karachi on Wednesday. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
