In a big blow to the Pakistan cricket team, opener Fakhar Zaman has been out of the big match against India on Sunday after suffering an injury in the first match of the Champions Trophy. Zaman walked off the field clutching his lower back after making a fielding attempt to stop the ball from reaching the boundary.

🚨 BREAKING 🚨

Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman will not be traveling with the team to Dubai for the highly anticipated showdown against India ❌

The aggressive left-hander suffered an injury in the opening game against New Zealand and is now likely to miss the remaining two… pic.twitter.com/nKGAmNYPOB

— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) February 20, 2025

Despite the injury, Zaman batted for a while but could not open the innings. He came in to bat at No. 4 but his battle with injury seemed apparent. His agonizing stay lasted 41 balls during which he made a free-flowing 24 before being caught by Michael Bracewell.
The India-Pakistan encounter is scheduled for Sunday (February 23) in Dubai. It is a virtual elimination match for Pakistan to remain alive in the competition.

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New Zealand Overwhelm Pakistan
New Zealand comprehensively won the first match of the Champions Trophy 2025 by 60 runs. Tom Latham (118) and Will Young (107) played outstandingly to lead the side to 320/5 in their 50 overs.

Pakistan, who are already down one game, would play India in a do-or-die encounter in Dubai with full knowledge that their tournament may be over if they lose. The India game will be played on February 23.

Mayank Yadav, the Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) pacer, is facing a setback in IPL 2024 as he is set to miss the remainder of the tournament due to injury. Despite hopes for a potential return in the playoffs, the situation remains uncertain, adding to the challenges for the player and his team.

Head Coach Justin Langer’s Insights

LSG’s head coach, Justin Langer, provided insights into Mayank’s injury and the team’s outlook moving forward. While expressing optimism for Mayank’s recovery, Langer acknowledged the harsh reality of the situation, indicating that it might be challenging for the young bowler to return for the latter stages of the tournament.

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Head coach Justin Langer said: “No, we’ll be praying that he can play, hopefully, in the playoffs, but I’m a realist as well. It’ll be probably difficult for him to get up for the back-end of the tournament. He’s had a scan. He’s got a small tear in a similar area to where his last one was. So it’s very unfortunate.”

The severity of Mayank’s Injury

Mayank’s injury, as revealed by Langer, involves a small tear in a similar area to his previous injury, casting doubt over his immediate return to action. Despite the positive signs during his rehabilitation, the setback is disheartening for both Mayank and LSG, considering his impact when he returned to the field earlier in the tournament.

Head coach further stated, “He’s got huge potential. But his rehabilitation was excellent. He went into the game [against MI], had a couple of bowls before the game. He was completely pain free. So it’s very sad for him and it’s disappointing for LSG as well that he might [not[ play the rest of the tournament.”

Mayank Yadav’s Performance in IPL 2024

Mayank had burst onto the scene this IPL with returns of 3 for 27 against Punjab Kings (PBKS) and 3 for 14 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), regularly hitting 155kph and making batters hop. He won the Player-of-the-Match award in both games. In his third game, against Gujarat Titans (GT), he bowled only one over before going off and sat out five games before returning against MI. But unfortunately he left the field in his last game after having bowled just 3.1 overs against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Tuesday.