Beyond fakhar

ICC Champions Trophy: Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez has strongly criticised the team management for risking Fakhar Zaman in the ICC Champions Trophy opener against New Zealand, a move that now cost the star opener the entire tournament.

Fakhar sustained a knee injury during the first over into Pakistan’s opener against New Zealand while chasing the ball in the outfield, forcing him to leave the field. Though he returned during Pakistan's chase, The ICC regulations prevented him from opening the batting for Pakistan. Instead, he was sent in at No. 4, a decision Hafeez believes was a major miscalculation.

“You give the Champions Trophy to the guy who sent Fakhar to bat at No. 4. He couldn’t run properly. It was a long match, and he was in pain. You can’t expect him to just stand there and hit every ball out of the park. He was struggling with running between the wickets, which added more pressure on Babar Azam," Hafeez said on PTV Sports.