Fakhar Zaman Announces Comeback for Champions Trophy: "I'm 100% Sure," He Confirms

Fakhar Zaman is a left handed opener for Pakistan, he's very confident he'll back on the national cricket team after not being in the game for a year. Zaman specifically mentioned looking forward to possibly playing in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, saying he's watching closely to returning to the team.

Fakhar Zaman played in the T20 World Cup and that was the last time the skilled batter got to play international cricket. He hasn't been on Pakistan's main contracts list for a while. Zaman said why he hasn't been with the team. He said that he had some health problems after the World Cup that interfered with his playing and also explained why he wasn't selected for the central contracts.

“People don’t know that after the T20 World Cup I got sick. I was not part of the team because of my medical condition, but now I’m 100% sure, I will play for Pakistan,” Fakhar said during his appearance on Vipers Voices podcast.

What is the issue between Fakhar Zaman and the PCB?

Things heated up when he criticized the PCB before Babar was rested for the last two England home test matches. Fakhar, who is 34, a formal warning from the PCB because social media post in favor of Babar.

During a press conference, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi also raised concerns about Fakhar Zaman's fitness.

"Naqvi told the press, players should not be very angry about team choices on social media. He also said, we cannot allow players to do this, and we will not accept it. The major problem with Fakhar is he didn't pass the fitness test he needed to".

Fakhar Zaman Stars in Champions Cup

After improving his health and fitness, Fakhar returned with great energy and proved his skills in the domestic Champions Cup T20 tournament. He scored 303 runs in 10 games, he is the third highest scorer, and his strike rate was 132.31. In 2017, in the Champions Trophy, Fakhar was the star player for Pakistan especially when they played against India in the final and he scored a century, helping Pakistan win the match. Taking him back on the team is definitely going to make the Pakistan line up even stronger.

Probable Pakistan XI for the 2025 Champions Trophy:

Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan(wk), Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub, Abrar Ahmed.

ALSO READ : India’s Probable Squad for Champions Trophy and England ODI Series 2025: Top Contenders