Fakhar Zaman Confident of Returning for Pakistan at ICC Champions Trophy

Pakistan’s top-order batter, Fakhar Zaman, is confident of making his return to international cricket after eight months when his country hosts the ICC Champions Trophy in February and March. The previously out-of-favour opener aims to rejoin the Pakistan white-ball side as the defending champions host their first ICC event in 29 years.

Ready for a Comeback

Fakhar Zaman, who has not played international cricket since Pakistan’s first-round exit from the T20 World Cup in June, missed out on a central contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the first time in eight years. Determined to make a comeback, Fakhar shared his plans:

“The plan was to get fully fit and play in the Champions Trophy,” Fakhar said. “I am lucky to be fit right now. I started from the Champions Trophy 2017, and that went really well for me. Now I am very excited for the next edition also.”

Fakhar had a memorable tournament in 2017 when he scored a match-winning century in the final against India.

Health and Fitness

Fakhar explained his absence from the team due to illness after the T20 World Cup:

“People don’t know that after the T20 World Cup, I got sick,” Fakhar explained to the Vipers Voices podcast as he prepared to play the International League T20 (ILT20) for Desert Vipers in the United Arab Emirates. “I was not part of the team because of my medical condition, but now I’m 100 percent sure I will play for Pakistan.”

Controversy and Criticism

The veteran batter made headlines when he criticized the national cricket administration just before Babar Azam was controversially rested for the final two home Test matches against England late last year due to his inconsistent form in red-ball cricket. The PCB issued Fakhar a show-cause notice for his social media post in favor of Babar, which did not sit well with PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Naqvi expressed concerns over Fakhar’s fitness and the appropriateness of players publicly expressing displeasure:

“It cannot happen like that. If the selection committee is not playing one player, then other players start tweeting to express their displeasure,” Naqvi told reporters at the time. “Players are not allowed to function like this, and we will never allow that. The main issue with [Fakhar] is his fitness test that he was not able to clear.”

Return to Competitive Cricket

In the absence of Fakhar, Pakistan won three away one-day international (ODI) series over the last two months, beating Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa under the captaincy of new white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan. Back home, Fakhar returned to competitive cricket during the domestic Champions Cup T20 tournament last month and was the third highest-scorer with 303 runs in 10 games at a strike rate of 132.31.

Support for Saim Ayub

Pakistan’s latest white-ball sensation, Saim Ayub, made two ODI centuries in South Africa before he fractured his right ankle during the second Test at Cape Town last week. Ayub has been ruled out of competitive cricket for at least six weeks, putting his participation in doubt for the Champions Trophy. The PCB flew Ayub to London from Cape Town on Monday for treatment, and Fakhar expressed his support:

“I hope he [Ayub] will recover quickly,” Fakhar said. “I was thinking to call Saim yesterday, just to talk to him about this injury. Believe me, he is such a great player that if he continues to play for the next four-five years, he will be among the top three players in the world.”

Key Highlights

• Confident Comeback: Fakhar Zaman aims to return for Pakistan at the ICC Champions Trophy after eight months.

• Memorable Past: Fakhar’s iconic century in the 2017 Champions Trophy final against India.

• Health Recovery: Overcoming illness and confident of playing for Pakistan again.

• Controversy: Criticism of PCB and fitness concerns addressed.

• Support for Teammates: Expressing hope for Saim Ayub’s quick recovery.