DUBAI: The Pakistan cricket squad has reached here today for the much-anticipated ICC Champions Trophy 2025 clash against arch-rivals India, scheduled to be played on Sunday.
The Green Shirts landed in Dubai after a change in their original travel schedule. Initially set to depart right after their match against New Zealand yesterday, the team instead flew out at noon today.
The Pakistan squad will rest for the day before hitting the nets tomorrow to bolster their preparation for the high-stakes Champions Trophy clash against India on February 23.
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The defending champions and hosts Pakistan began their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign with a 60-run loss against New Zealand yesterday.
During the match, the Green Shirts suffered a major blow as top-order batter Fakhar Zaman sustained an injury in the very first over of New Zealand’s innings as he fell awkwardly while fielding, forcing him to leave the ground for medical assessment.
Though he attempted to return to the field after some time, he eventually walked off again, raising serious concerns about his fitness.
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Despite the discomfort, Fakhar still came out to bat in Pakistan’s chase of 321 runs. However, he looked far from his usual fluent self, managing a scratchy 24 before getting dismissed.
Earlier today, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that Fakhar Zaman can no longer participate in the mega-event and named Imam-ul-Haq as his replacement.
Pakistan squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025
Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
READ: Fakhar Zaman reacts after being ruled out of Champions Trophy 2025