The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday approved Imamul Haq to replace Fakhar Zaman in Pakistan’s Champions Trophy squad after the opener injured himself during Pakistan’s match with New Zealand on Wednesday.
Earlier today, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had confirmed that Fakhar would not be travelling to Dubai with the Pakistan squad.
According to a statement today by the ICC, Fakhar has been ruled out of the tournament altogether ahead of Pakistan’s high-stakes clash against India on Sunday in Dubai after India refused to travel to Pakistan to play their matches.
“PCB confirmed that the seasoned batter will miss the big ticket match owing to an oblique tear while fielding in Wednesday’s match,” ICC said.
The 34-year-old left-handed batsman sprained a chest muscle while fielding at the start of Pakistan’s game against New Zealand, which the hosts lost by 60 runs.
He could not open the innings because of playing rules and instead batted at number four and made a laborious 41-ball 24, showing signs of discomfort.
The southpaw opener also confirmed the development in a post on Instagram.
“Representing Pakistan on the biggest stage is an honour and dream of every cricketer in this country. I have been privileged enough to represent Pakistan multiple times with pride.
“Unfortunately I’m now out of ICC Champions Trophy 2025 but surely Allah is the best planner. Grateful for the opportunity. I will be backing our boys in green from home.
“This is only just the beginning, the comeback will be stronger than the setback. Pakistan Zindabad,” he wrote.
According to Dawn sports correspondent Mir Shabbar Ali, there is a major difference between the two players. While Imam has great numbers as opener in ODIs, he is someone who takes his time before accelerating. He is great in his own capacity, but not like as a replacement for Fakhar. It would be a big mistake to send him in as opener with Babar Azam, because both players more or less have the same batting style.
The 27-year-old Imam has featured in 72 ODIs and has 3138 runs to his name at an average of 48.3.
Pakistan’s updated squad: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Pakistan’s defence had already been dealt a blow when opener Saim Ayub was ruled out of competitive cricket last month after the youngster fractured his ankle in a Test match against South Africa in Cape Town.
To accommodate India in the eight-nation tournament, a two-way hybrid model was adopted by the ICC with consent of the PCB and Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) to hold all the Champions Trophy matches involving India in Dubai.
Pakistan failed to chase the 321 target set by New Zealand in Wednesday’s opener, with the Green Shirts ending their rollercoaster innings with 260 all out.
Zaman, the only conventional opener on the Pakistan side, did not open with both part-time opening options — Saud Shakeel and Babar Azam, who started off the innings for the Green Team.
The stage was set for Pakistan in Karachi with an electric atmosphere in the stands at the sold-out National Bank Stadium as it hosted its first ICC tournament since 1996.
Pakistan played a mammoth 152 dot-balls in their innings, with their lack of strike rotation coming back to haunt them at the end.
In a separate disappointing development today, Pakistan were fined five per cent of their match fee by the ICC for a slow over rate against New Zealand.
Additional input from AFP
