Pakistan's opener, Fakhar Zaman, has a longstanding connection to the Champions Trophy. The left-handed player made his name in international cricket through the 2017 edition of this tournament when he helped Pakistan win a historic title.
Eight years later, Zaman returned to action to win the Champions Cup, but his place in the team was still to be confirmed. The 2025 Champions Trophy faced many controversies mostly revolving around India traveling to Pakistan.
With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirming that India will not travel to Pakistan for the tournament, Fakhar Zaman is disappointed but also excited at the same time to face them in Dubai.
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Fakhar Zaman talks about India not traveling to Pakistan
While speaking to Sports Tak, Fakhar Zaman was asked about India's refusal to visit Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025. He claimed that the Indian team would have received a bigger welcome than what Pakistan received when they traveled to India for the ODI World Cup in 2025. 2023.
“If India had come to Pakistan, we would have given them a greater welcome and hospitality, but they did not come. It's okay, but we are excited to play against them in Dubai,” Fakhar said.
Pakistan traveled to India for the ODI World Cup in 2023 when they played most of their matches in Hyderabad. Of all the venues, Pakistan played only in Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata.
They had a disappointing tournament and finished fifth in the points table. They even lost to Afghanistan in a shocking result. As a result, the Men in Green team failed to qualify for the semi-finals.
We will miss playing in India – Fakhar Zaman
While speaking on the same platform, Fakhar Zaman admitted that he will miss playing on Indian soil as the team enjoyed a great time in the country during the 2023 World Cup. He also expressed his happiness at the kind of support he received in India during the 2023 World Cup tournament.
“Yes, we will definitely miss (playing in India) as we had a lot of fun during our visit there for the 2023 World Cup. We were delighted with the kind of support and hospitality we received there,” Zaman added.
As per the recent agreement between ICC, BCCI and PCB, India and Pakistan will not be required to travel to each other's country to attend ICC events for the current session. While the other teams will play their matches in the host country, India and Pakistan will play their matches through a hybrid model in any other country.
Will Fakhar Zaman be selected in the Pakistan Champions Trophy squad?
India and Pakistan are the only two teams in the Champions Trophy who have not announced their final squad yet. Pakistan is believed to have presented its initial squad but will reduce its squad to 15 players by February 10.
Fakhar Zaman is on track to be selected for the Champions Trophy despite not having played in an ODI since the 2023 World Cup. Zaman was earlier left out of Pakistan's ODI squad for the tour of Australia after he criticized the PCB's decision to drop Babar Azam.
Pakistan will open their campaign against New Zealand on February 19 in Karachi. The Men in Green will next take on arch rivals India in Dubai on February 23. They will face Bangladesh in their final group match on February 27 in Rawalpindi.
