The weeks of anticipation for the start of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 took an early turn for the worse as disaster struck Pakistan in their opening match against New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi. The hosts, who won the toss and opted to field, suffered a setback on just the second ball when key player Fakhar Zaman sustained an injury.
Shaheen Shah Afridi bowled the first over of the tournament, and on his second delivery, Will Young drove the ball through extra cover. Fakhar Zaman, stationed at mid-off, sprinted to stop the boundary, successfully restricting New Zealand to three runs.?
However, during his sprint to stop the ball, Fakhar appeared to injure his knee or side as he went down to stop the boundary. He was seen on all fours near the boundary, clutching both areas in discomfort. Seeing a key player go down so early in the game raised concerns for Pakistan as he was taken off the field, with Kamran Ghulam stepping in as a substitute.
Many fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their concern about Fakhar Zaman's early exit. One user wrote, "Fakhar Zaman is currently not on the field. Hope he's fine."
Another said, "Fakhar Zaman got injured on the second ball of the match. Big blow for Pakistan."
A fan stated, "The only batter in the Pakistan team with intent, Fakhar Zaman, is out of the ground."
Another added, "Pakistan will hope Fakhar Zaman's injury isn’t serious. He’s a key player, and they can’t afford to go from one opener to zero."
After seven overs, New Zealand has scored 39 runs without losing a wicket. Will Young and Devon Conway remained at the crease, carefully navigating the pace attack of Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah.?
New Zealand (Playing XI): Devon Conway, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, William ORourke
Pakistan (Playing XI): Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan(w/c), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed?
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