Fakhar Zaman ready to play for Pakistan

Explosive top-order batter Fakhar Zaman has expressed his eagerness to return to the Pakistan cricket team for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Currently, Fakhar is in the United Arab Emirates, where he is playing for the Desert Vipers in the International League T20 (ILT20).

While he is actively participating in domestic and franchise cricket, he has not represented Pakistan since the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024.

However, he has been in the news since November due to a social media post expressing his disappointment over the exclusion of Babar Azam from the last two Tests during the home series against England.

In response to the post, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issued a show-cause notice to Fakhar Zaman and subsequently left him out of the central contracts. He was also not considered for the tours of Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.

Recently, Fakhar revealed that he had been sidelined due to health issues following the T20 World Cup 2024. He is now focusing on making a strong comeback for the Champions Trophy 2025.

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“I have recovered 100% and you will see me in the next international series which Pakistan plays,” he said. “Actually, many people do not know this, but after the T20 World Cup, I got sick and due to my medical condition, I was not fit, so I was not part of the team.”

“My plan has been around the Champions Trophy. I did not play in Australia or in South Africa, as my whole plan was to play in the Champions Trophy to make myself available and to be fully fit for the tournament.”

Fakhar Zaman also shared that although he prefers to open the innings, he is ready to play at any position in the batting order according to the requirements of the team.

“In Pakistan, we have three of the best players in the world in Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Saim Ayub, so sometimes I feel lucky to be in the team even if I am not able to make my place as an opener,” he said.

“If the team has faith in me and wants me to bat at number four or five, that totally makes sense, because for me, the team always comes first and I play wherever the team wants me to play. But I always prefer to open.”

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