Wasim Akram: “A regular opener is Fakhar (Zaman), who has been picked. Thank God he is back in the squad. One of the main players in world cricket in white ball”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Iconic Pakistan left-arm speedster Wasim Akram said “thank God” big-hitting batsman Fakhar Zaman is back in the national team.
Zaman had not played for Pakistan since the 2024 T20 World Cup before making his comeback in the ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa.
The 34-year-old was on fire in the tri-series as he smashed 84 runs off 69 balls against New Zealand, which included seven boundaries and four sixes.
He followed it up with 41 runs off 28 deliveries against South Africa, which included six boundaries and a six.
Even though the Mardan native only scored 10 runs in the final against New Zealand, he ended up finishing the tri-series with 135 runs at an average of 45 and a strike-rate of 120.53.
“A regular opener is Fakhar (Zaman), who has been picked. Thank God he is back in the squad. One of the main players in world cricket in white ball,” Wasim told Sports Yaari as quoted by NDTV.
Zaman and the rest of the Pakistan team will now feature in the 2025 Champions Trophy, which will take place from February 19 to March 9.
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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