Karachi, February 27 (HS): Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman has dismissed speculation that he is planning to retire from international cricket. He clarified that he will return to the field soon after recovering from the injury.

Fakhar Zaman, who scored a century in the 2017 Champions Trophy final to give Pakistan a historic title win, was injured in the first match against New Zealand in Karachi. He suffered a muscle strain while chasing a ball in the very first over of the match. He then walked off the field, though later came out to bat at number 4 and scored 24 runs off 41 balls. He was out of form due to injury and Pakistan lost by 60 runs.

After this, there were speculations that this could be the last international match of Fakhar, who is going to be 35 years old in April. However, he himself denied these rumors saying that he still wants to play for Pakistan.

Speaking to PCB Digital, Fakhar said, I have heard about the news of retirement. Even my friends messaged about it, but there is no truth in it. The ODI format is my favorite, and I want to play T20, ODI and even Test cricket. As far as my comeback is concerned, the doctor has said that I can start playing cricket again in a month.

However, Fakhar Zaman was dropped from Pakistan's central contract before the tournament. Also, last year he tweeted criticizing the decision to drop Babar Azam from the Test team, for which he was also issued a show cause notice. Later, when PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi organized a Connection Camp for senior players, Fakhar had lashed out at a senior official.

Regarding his fitness, Fakhar said, The doctor has advised me to start training in three weeks, so hopefully I will start playing cricket again within a month.

Meanwhile, Pakistan is out of Champions Trophy 2025. He suffered a six-wicket defeat against India, after which he was eliminated from the tournament. Pakistan will now play their last match against Bangladesh.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar