Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy 2025. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on Thursday, confirmed that the left-handed batter would miss the remainder of the matches due to an oblique tear. The southpaw sustained the injury while fielding during Pakistan’s opening match against New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday, February 19. Pakistan are scheduled to face India in Dubai on Sunday, February 23.
Fakhar sustained the injury as early as the first over of the match after Pakistan won the toss and opted to field in the opening game of the Champions Trophy 2025, which marked the return of an ICC tournament to Pakistan after 29 years.
The incident occurred when Fakhar sprinted from inside the 30-yard circle to stop a boundary after Will Young drove a delivery from Shaheen Afridi. While he successfully prevented the ball from reaching the rope, he landed awkwardly after diving, resulting in the injury.
Wincing in pain, Fakhar immediately called for medical attention. Although he later came out to bat, he did not open the innings. Instead, he batted at No. 4 and struggled through an uncharacteristically slow knock of 24 from 41 balls. Clearly in discomfort, he was unable to run between the wickets and lacked fluency.
