"I spoke to the doctor..." - Fakhar Zaman finally opens up about his RETIREMENT plans

Pakistan National Cricket Team batter Fakhar Zaman broke silence on his retirement rumors amid the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He mentioned that a lot of his friends asked him about the same, but there is nothing related to this in his mind as he wants to play for the team in all three formats.

Pakistan National Cricket Team batter Fakhar Zaman has been doing rounds in the news for the last few days. This is because there have been various reports that claimed that he will be retiring from ODI cricket, especially after the injury that he faced in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Fakhar Zaman was ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 after the first game

Fakhar was ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 after the first game itself. The opening batter suffered a lower back injury while trying to prevent a boundary in the opening over of the innings. He came out to bat, but due to strain, his struggles were visible as he ended up playing the innings 24 off 41 deliveries.

The reports claimed that Fakhar Zaman, who has been battling health issues also, talked to his friends and family, and only after that he decided to retire from ODIs. The batter, however, expressed his desire to continue playing for the Pakistan National Cricket Team in the T20I cricket.

There's nothing to it - Fakhar Zaman on his retirement

However, in a drastic turn of events, Fakhar Zaman has strongly denied any claims about retirement. He admitted that although his health is not well he will be making a comeback. He stressed that he spoke to a doctor, who told him that he could play after a month. Speaking to PCB, he said:

"I heard about this [retirement rumours] a lot and even my friends messaged me about it, but there's nothing to it. The ODI format is my favourite format. Yes with my thyroid, there was a thing that I could take more time getting back into it.

"But I want to play T20s, ODIs, even Tests again. As far as my comeback is concerned, I spoke to the doctor and I can start playing cricket again within the month."

Strike rate does matter, especially these days - Fakhar Zaman

Fakhar Zaman also talked about the importance of strike rate in modern-day cricket. He said that playing risky cricket is the need of an hour as the game has become so fast-scoring. He added:

"The biggest thing is the situation. If you are chasing 150-200 runs, you go in with a different mindset, and if you are chasing 350, you have a different mindset. But the strike rate does matter, especially these days.

"And you have to play risky cricket. Cricket has become so fast-scoring that all teams have come up with that plan. If you take risks, you can score runs, although yes, you can also lose your wicket doing that."

Pakistan National Cricket Team has been eliminated from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The Mohammad Rizwan-led side faced two back-to-back defeats against New Zealand and Pakistan. They will be taking on Bangladesh in their last league game on Thursday (27th February).

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