Fakhar Zaman performs a shot. — AFP/File
LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday revealed the much-awaited squad for the upcoming ICC Males’s Champions Trophy 2025 and the tri-nation collection, with sole specialist opening batter Fakhar Zaman.
Fakhar returned to Pakistan’s ODI group after the ICC Males’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India and now he faces the void after his fellow opener Saim Ayub could not make it to the ultimate picks as a result of an ankle harm.
Abdullah Shafique did not make a reduce, owing to his latest below-par performances for the nationwide group.
In the meantime, nationwide selector Asad Shafiq, in a PCB-released assertion, addressed the priority and revealed star batter Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel as Fakhar’s potential opening companions for the eight-team match.
Shafiq additional shared that Fakhar’s opening associate can be chosen after analysing varied elements together with circumstances, opposition and match technique.
“Fakhar Zaman’s return is a significant boost for our top-order. His aggressive approach and match-winning capabilities are vital to our plans,” mentioned Shafiq.
“Likewise, Saud Shakeel has been drafted to further bolster the batting and capitalise on his rich vein of form in Test cricket, particularly in home conditions. Moreover, he is an experienced, intelligent and calculated batter who constructs his innings thoughtfully and excels at building partnerships.
“Fakhar’s opening partner could be either Babar Azam or Saud Shakeel, depending on various factors such as conditions, opposition and match strategy. Both players are highly capable at the top of the order, with Babar being particularly seasoned in the role, regularly opening in T20Is and also excelling in the Cape Town Test by scoring two half-centuries in Saim Ayub’s absence.”
Pakistan squad for tri-nation collection and Champions Trophy 2025:
Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, 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.
