Asad Shafiq: “Fakhar Zaman’s return is a significant boost for our top order. His aggressive approach and match-winning capabilities are vital to our plans”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan selector Asad Shafiq called Fakhar Zaman a match-winner while expressing his excitement that the big-hitting batsman has made his international comeback.
Zaman was included in Pakistan’s team for the ongoing ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa, and the upcoming 2025 Champions Trophy, which will be played from February 19 to March 9.
In the ODI tri-series opener against New Zealand, he put on a show, smashing 84 runs off 69 balls, which included seven boundaries and four sixes.
Shafiq noted that having the 34-year-old back in the side “is a significant boost for our top order” since he plays an attacking brand of cricket.
“Fakhar Zaman’s return is a significant boost for our top order. His aggressive approach and match-winning capabilities are vital to our plans,” he was quoted as saying in a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) press release.
Prior to the ODI tri-series, Zaman last played international cricket at the 2024 T20 World Cup, but remained active at the domestic level.
Recently, he was involved in the Champions T20 Cup and finished as the third-highest run-scorer with 303 runs in 10 matches for the Markhors, which included two fifties, at an average of 30.30 and a strike-rate of 132.31.
Since Zaman was out of the national team for over six months, he missed Pakistan’s tours of Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
He also wasn’t considered for selection for the recent two-Test series against the West Indies, which concluded as a 1-1 draw.
Pakistan Squad for 2025 Champions Trophy: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah
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