Pakistan cricket fans were in a state of shock in the opening over of their Champions Trophy 2025 clash against New Zealand in Karachi on Wednesday. Fakhar Zaman had to be taken off field as the opening batter suffered an injury scare. (Match Blog | Full Coverage | More Cricket News)
The incident occurred on the third ball of the first over of the game from Shaheen Afridi's over as Kiwi opener Will Young hit a full delivery through the covers for three runs. Fakhar Zaman ran to the boundary in pursuit of the delivery but landed awkwardly while diving, that saw him immediately hurting himself.
Zaman was seen calling for a medical assistance before making his way off the field, holding his back, Kamran Ghulam was brought on as a substitute fielder.
Earlier, Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and opted to bowl first in their opening Champions Trophy Group A match against New Zealand.
Playing XIs:
New Zealand: 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: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan(w/c), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
