Hosts and defending champions Pakistan had a tough outing in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener against New Zealand, and the situation has become tougher for them as the dependable and powerful opening batter Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out from the tournament. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has also announced the replacement.

Fakhar Zaman was injured on the second ball of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025

On the second ball of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Pakistan cricketer Fakhar Zaman, who was the hero for Pakistan in the Final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 against India to lift the trophy for the first time, was injured while saving a boundary. After returning the ball to the closest fielder, Fakhar signaled for medical attention as he quickly went off the field. He missed the game for more than two hours before returning to the field in the late moment of the New Zealand innings. As a result, he couldn't come to bat for the first 25 minutes of Pakistan's innings.

Fakhar ultimately came to bat after the first powerplay, while the hosts lost the first two wickets. Chasing the 321-run target against New Zealand, Fakhar was struggling to run and mostly dealing with the boundaries. He scored 24 off 41 balls with four fours before losing his wicket. Pakistan lost the game by 60 runs. 

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Imam-ul-Haq replaced Fakhar Zaman

Fakhar has suffered an oblique injury, and he has been ruled out of the remainder of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The PCB has named Imam-ul-Haq as the replacement for the Pakistan opener. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved this replacement.

Fakhar and Imam were once the opening partners for the national team. The 29-year-old Imam-ul-Haq played his last international match in December 2023 when Pakistan faced the hosts Australia in the 2023 Boxing Day Test at Melbourne. The left-handed batter's last ODI was against South Africa in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023.