Fakhar Zaman has said he has still not given up on representing Pakistan again. The left-handed batsman has fallen down the pecking order and has not played for the Pakistan team since the 2024 T20 World Cup last June.
With Saim Ayub doing well for Pakistan, many believe that Fakhar Zaman is unlikely to play for Pakistan any time soon. However, the southpaw is adamant that he will be donning the green jersey soon. In fact, he is also gearing up for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, scheduled to be played from February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai.
Incidentally, it was the Champions Trophy that made the Pakistan batsman a household name. In the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy, Fakhar Zaman announced his arrival at the highest stage of the game by scoring a sensational century against arch-rivals India.
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Thanks to his century, Pakistan thrashed India and won their first-ever Champions Trophy title. After that knock, Fakhar became an integral member of the Pakistan team in the white-ball format. While things have not gone well for him in recent times, Fakhar is very upbeat and is hopeful of returning to international cricket soon.
“A 100%, I will play for Pakistan (again),” Fakhar Zaman told the Vipers Voices podcast. “Actually, many people do not know about that, but after the T20 World Cup I got sick and because of the medical condition I was not fit, so I was not a part of the team.
“But now I [have] recovered 100%, and you will see me in the next white-ball series which Pakistan play.
“My plan has been around the Champions Trophy. I did not play in the Australia tour or in the South Africa tour, so my whole plan was just to play in the Champions Trophy, to make myself available and to be fully fit for the tournament.
“That was in the back of my mind, and I am thankful, and I am lucky to be fit right now. I started from the Champions Trophy 2017 and that went really well for me and now I am very excited for the next edition also. I talked to the selectors, the head coach, and everyone wanted me to play in the Champions Trophy,” added the 34-year old.
Fakhar Zaman on Saim Ayub:
Fakhar Zaman also spoke about 22-year-old sensation Saim Ayub who recently enjoyed an impressive tour of South Africa. After scoring 98 runs in the second T20I, Ayub scored two centuries in the three-match ODI series. He also impressed during the tour of Australia last November.
However, the youngster is doubtful for the Champions Trophy after suffering an ankle injury while fielding during the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town.
“I hope and I believe that he will recover quickly, and I was thinking yesterday to call Saim just to talk to him about this injury. Believe me, he is such a great player that if he continues to play for the next four to five years, he will be at the top and he will be amongst the top three players in the world,” said Fakhar.
Speaking further, Fakhar said that the tough competition to open the innings for Pakistan does not bother him. He stated that he is ready to bat at any position for the team.
“In Pakistan, we have three of the best players in the world in Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Saim Ayub, so sometimes I feel lucky to be in the team even if I am not able to make my place in the team as an opener,” Fakhar said.
“If the team has faith in me and they want me to bat at number four or five, that totally makes sense, because for me the team is always first and I play wherever the team wants me to play, but I always prefer to open,” he added.
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