Pakistan opening batter Fakhar Zaman injured himself while fielding during the ongoing match against New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Fakhar Zaman walked off the field after sustaining some damage to his knee in the tournament opener at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday, February 19.
Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan opted to bat first after winning the toss in the tournament opener. Haris Rauf returned to the playing XI after missing two matches in the recent tri-series. Rachin Ravindra failed to make it into the playing XI of New Zealand, with Will Young opening alongside Devon Conway.
Fakhar Zaman Leaves Field After Second Ball of the Match
On the second ball of the match, Shaheen Afridi bowled a full delivery outside off, which Will Young drove through extra cover. While chasing the ball from mid-off, Fakhar Zaman appeared to injure his knee or side. He was seen holding both areas in discomfort near the sidelines, forcing him to leave the field.
You can watch the video of the incident below:
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Pakistan suffered a similar setback earlier when Saim Ayub sustained an injury while chasing a ball to the boundary during a Test match against South Africa. He twisted his ankle, resulting in a fracture that ruled him out of the Champions Trophy. The injury is expected to sideline him until at least mid-March.
Fakhar Zaman Replaced Injured Saim Ayub in Champions Trophy Squad
Fakhar Zaman, who had not played an ODI since the 2023 World Cup, made a strong comeback as Saim Ayub’s replacement. The left-handed batter impressed with scores of 84 off 69 and 41 off 25 in his first two matches back in the team.
However, in an unfortunate turn of events, he suffered an injury while fielding and was immediately replaced by Kamran Ghulam. The severity of his injury is yet to be officially confirmed. At the time of his injury, New Zealand was 17/0 after three overs.
We Will Treat It Like the Previous Tri-Series – Mohammad Rizwan
Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan acknowledged the pressure of being defending champions but wanted to treat the tournament like the recent tri-series. Rizwan also expressed excitement about playing in Pakistan. Meanwhile, Haris Rauf has regained fitness and returned to the playing XI.
“We will bowl first. Seen the last couple of matches dew comes in later, so want to maximise on that. We are the defending champions so will be in a bit more pressure, but we will treat it like the previous tri-series. Playing in Pakistan will be great as well. Haris Rauf is fit again so he’s back in,” Rizwan said.
Pakistan (Playing XI): Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan(w/c), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
Also read: England, New Zealand kicked aside as Nasser Hussain predicts finalists of ICC Champions Trophy 2025
