Pakistan was excited to host the ICC tournament for the first time in almost 30 years, but the start wasn’t great. In the first match against New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi, opener Fakhar Zaman got hurt right away.
Just two balls into the game, New Zealand’s Will Young hit the ball to the outfield. Fakhar rushed to stop it and dived, but he landed awkwardly and seemed to hurt either his knee or back. He looked really hurt and had to leave the field for treatment. Kamran Ghulam took his place as the substitute fielder.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Fakhar had a “muscular sprain” and is being checked to see how serious it is. He has had injuries before, including knee surgery and hamstring problems, which kept him sidelined in the past.
“It’s a real shame if Fakhar is hurt, especially since he’s a key player for Pakistan in ODIs,” commented Ramiz Raja during the game. Ian Smith added, “It’s very unlucky for him. Fakhar has been in great form. If he can’t play later, it will be a big loss for the team.”
Pakistan is the defending champion after beating India in the last final in 2017. Meanwhile, India is playing its matches in the UAE because of travel restrictions from their government.
New Zealand comes into this tournament confident after winning the tri-nation series against Pakistan and South Africa just last week. Even though they’ve lost two main fast bowlers to injury, their other players, especially their spinners, are performing well.
New Zealand missed one of their batters, Rachin Ravindra, for this game as he’s still recovering from an injury to his forehead. On the other hand, Pakistan’s fast bowler Haris Rauf, who missed the last two games due to a side strain, has passed his fitness test and is back in the team instead of allrounder Faheem Ashraf.
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