Sikandar Raza: “Fakhar is not just a great player but also a great friend”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza has lavished praise on Pakistan top order batsman Fakhar Zaman, calling him a “great player”.
Zaman had been actively involved in domestic cricket before returning to the national team and playing international cricket for the first time since the 2024 T20 World Cup.
He recently played in the Champions T20 Cup, where he 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.
Given his strong performance in the tournament, he was recalled to the Pakistan team for the ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa, where he scored 135 runs, which included a top score of 84, at an average of 45 and a strike-rate of 120.53.
“Fakhar is not just a great player but also a great friend,” Raza told Cricket Pakistan.
Zaman was then involved in the 2025 Champions Trophy and made 24 runs in Pakistan’s opening game against New Zealand.
However, his campaign came to an end in that match itself as he suffered an oblique injury and was replaced by Imam-ul-Haq.
Pakistan lost to both New Zealand and India, which resulted in them being knocked out of the Champions Trophy.
Their final group stage match will be against Bangladesh on February 27 in Rawalpindi.
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