Karachi [Pakistan], February 20: In a significant blow to Pakistan’s cricket team, opener Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out of the remainder of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 due to a serious injury. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed the news on Thursday, as reported by Geo News.
Zaman sustained a muscular strain while fielding in the opening over against New Zealand at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium on February 19. The injury occurred when New Zealand’s Will Young drove a delivery from Shaheen Afridi past the infield. Zaman made a sprint to cut off the ball and successfully palmed it back to Babar Azam for the return throw. However, he appeared to be in significant discomfort immediately after the play, clutching his lower back and signaling for a substitution. Though he walked off the field with the team physio’s assistance, Zaman was forced to leave the match.
Despite the injury, Zaman returned to the field after New Zealand lost their second wicket in the ninth over. He made a brief but valuable contribution, scoring 24 runs off 41 balls, including four boundaries.
The PCB confirmed that Fakhar Zaman is undergoing further medical assessment and will not be traveling with the squad to Dubai for Pakistan’s next match. The board described Zaman’s injury as serious and announced that he would not be able to participate for the rest of the tournament.
This injury comes as another setback for Pakistan, which had already lost Saim Ayub earlier in the tournament. Ayub suffered an ankle fracture while chasing a ball during a Test match against South Africa and will remain sidelined until at least mid-March. Fakhar, who was not initially included in Pakistan’s ODI squad, had been called up as Ayub’s replacement. He made an immediate impact, scoring 84 off 69 balls and 41 off 28 in his first two matches back with the team.