DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved Imam-ul-Haq as a replacement for injured Fakhar Zaman in Pakistan’s squad for the ongoing Champions Trophy. Fakhar was forced off the field after suffering an injury while fielding in the early part of the tournament opener against New Zealand in Karachi.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said at that time that Fakhar was being assessed and examined for a muscular sprain, with further updates to be provided in due course. Later, Fakhar couldn’t open the batting and came out to bat in the tenth over, where his struggles were apparent while making 24 off 41 balls.
Now, the ICC said in its official statement on Thursday that Fakhar has been ruled out of the rest of the competition due to an oblique injury. The replacement of a player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee before the player can be officially added to the squad.
The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 consists of Wasim Khan (ICC General Manager – Cricket), Sarah Edgar (ICC Senior Manager – Events), Usman Wahla (PCB Director – International Cricket Operations), Shaun Pollock (Independent Representative).
Replacing him in Pakistan's squad is Imam, the 29-year-old opener who has played 72 ODIs and is a like-for-like replacement for Fakhar. Fakhar himself came into the Pakistan team after Saim Ayub was ruled out due to an ankle fracture.
Now, Imam is now on the verge of playing international cricket for the first time after 2023, as Pakistan will field a new opening combination for their high-stakes clash against India in Dubai on February 23, which the defending champions need to win after losing to New Zealand by 60 runs.
Pakistan 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, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.