During the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opening match, Pakistan suffered an early setback when Fakhar Zaman left the field just two balls into the match due to a lower back issue. Now, multiple reports claim that Fakhar Zaman is out of the tournament due to the injury.
Imam-ul-Haq is assumed to be his replacement for the rest of the tournament. He has reportedly passed the fitness test.
According to Aaj.TV in Pakistan, it is weird that Imam had to go through a fitness test again since the player has been with the national squad for some time now.
Imam-ul-Haq was earlier dropped from the national team due to an internal report by former team director Mohammad Hafeez. The report alleged that the player had leaked confidential team matters, according to Cricket Pakistan.
The opener injured himself while fielding and signalled for a substitution, though he walked off without assistance. After a medical assessment, he returned in the ninth over but struggled while batting, managing a sluggish 24 off 41 balls.
Captain Mohammad Rizwan acknowledged Zaman’s absence disrupted Pakistan’s momentum both in the death overs and during the powerplay in the cricket match.
“Let’s see what the result from the [scan] is. We lost momentum twice, first in the death overs and then in the powerplay with the bat. Losing Fakhar Zaman [as opener] was crucial,” ANI quoted Rizwan as saying.
Pakistan’s defeat against New Zealand
On February 19, Pakistan’s hopes of reaching the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semifinals took a major hit losing to New Zealand in the tournament opener in Karachi. Chasing 321, the defending champions were bowled out for 260 in 47.2 overs.
This marked their fourth consecutive Champions Trophy defeat against New Zealand. With this win, New Zealand leads Group A, while Pakistan sits at the bottom. India and Bangladesh begin their campaigns on February 20.
