After all the hype that surrounded for the ICC Champions Trophy, Pakistan’s campaign might not have started in an ideal way. They are already without star youngster Saim Ayub and it now looks like even his replacement has endured an injury. Fakhar Zaman, who made his international return earlier this month, looked in massive trouble while fielding during the ICC Champions Trophy opener against New Zealand on February 19, Wednesday.
Fakhar Zaman injured?
Pakistan, who won the toss, opted to bat second at the National Stadium in Karachi. On the very second ball bowled by Shaheen Afridi, Will Young stroked one through the off-side. Fakhar Zaman, who was standing at mid-off, sprinted towards the boundary line and made a great effort to stop it from touching the ropes. Unfortunately, his knees got stuck on the outfield, and Zaman endured massive discomfort.
The Pakistani physio quickly came to Zaman, who went off the field following the incident. Kamran Ghulam, who isn’t in the playing XI, came in as a fielding replacement for the southpaw. As for New Zealand, they have had a great start to the innings. Devon Conway and Will Young were untroubled against the likes of Shaheen and Naseem Shah.
Is Fakhar Zaman ruled out of Champions Trophy?
“Fakhar Zaman is being assessed and examined for a muscular sprain and further updates will be provided in due course,” the PCB said in a statement. Considering that it is a muscular sprain, we could expect Zaman not to be available to bat in the ongoing game against New Zealand.
A blow for team Pakistan as Fakhar Zaman experienced some discomfort and is currently out of the field
— InsideSport (@InsideSportIND) February 19, 2025: JioHotstar #PAKvNZ #CT2025 #ODIs #Insidesport #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/g9SgtSyFBa
For all the Pakistan vs New Zealand live coverage click here.
Pakistan XI vs New Zealand at ICC Champions Trophy
Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan(w/c), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
New Zealand XI vs Pakistan at ICC Champions Trophy
Devon Conway, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, William ORourke
Editor's Pick
Cricket
IPL 2025 team of week (Mar 22-30): Dhoni as impact sub, Sudharsan & de Kock to open, Iyer at 4
Top Stories
