Hosts Pakistan's Champions Trophy 2025 campaign got off to a horrible start as they suffered a 60-run defeat to New Zealand in the opening game at the National Stadium in Karachi. The defeat was not the only blow Pakistan suffered in the match as their star opener Fakhar Zaman picked up an injury that forced him to rule out of the tournament. Fakhar got injured on the second ball of the match and was out of the field for most of New Zealand's innings. He was not featured as an opener and came bat to bat at number four after Mohammed Rizwan's wicket.
Zaman was seen in pain when he came to bat and was not able to rotate the strike. He managed to score just 24 runs in 41 balls. The destructive opener broke down in tears as he walked out of the ground after being dismissed. Pakistan speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi tried to consolidate the star but he was heartbroken. The video of the incident was shared by ICC on social media and now the clip is viral.
The star batter has been ruled out of the tournament as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that Zaman picked up an oblique injury and won't be able to feature in the tournament. ICC has announced Imam ul Haq as a replacement. Zaman was added to Pakistan's squad after being snubbed from the tours to South Africa and Australia following a tweet on Babar Azam's snub from the Pakistan Test squad vs England.
After losing their opener clash against New Zealand, Pakistan will face arch-rivals India for their second league match which will take place at Dubai International Stadium in Dubai on February 23. The upcoming clash will be a do-or-die tie for the hosts, they will be out of the tournament if they lose the clash.