Kolkata – February 19 (4:34 PM – IST )
Fakhar Zaman got Injured
In the opening match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 between Pakistan and New Zealand in Karachi, Pakistan faced an early setback when opener Fakhar Zaman got injured just after two balls were bowled in the game. After Pakistan’s captain Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and chose to field, New Zealand’s Will Young drove a delivery from Shaheen Afridi towards extra cover.
Fakhar Zaman, fielding at the mid-off has chased the ball and made a diving effort to stop the ball successfully from reaching the boundary for four runs. However, immediately after the dive he made, he appeared to experience discomfort in his lower back or, most probably, around the groin area. Immediately after the dive, he signalled for assistance towards the dressing room and walked off the field. Kamran Ghulam has replaced him as a substitute fielder, and the team’s physio attended him, but he is still looking in some sort of pain.
As of now, there has been no official update on the severity of Fakhar Zaman’s injury or his availability for this match and the remaining matches of the tournament. The team’s medical staff is closely monitoring his condition, and further assessments will determine his availability in this match for batting and participation in upcoming matches. For more updates, keep following our updates on ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Fakhar Zaman’s inclusion in the Champions Trophy squad is his return to international cricket after being rested for some months due to injury and illness since June 2024. For making a come-back in the Pakistani squad, he demonstrated his fitness and form during the Champions T20 Cup 2024, where he was the third-highest run-scorer with 303 runs at a strike rate of over 132. On the basis of his performance in that tournament, he got picked again in Pakistan’s squad.
By – Md Imran (Cricket Zon)
