ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Watch - Fakhar Zaman collapses, dropped by Devon Conway, then castled by Michael Bracewell

The veteran Pakistan National Cricket Team batter Fakhar Zaman had a chaotic start to his campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday, February 19.

Fakhar Zaman had a horrible day on the field against New Zealand National Cricket Team and when he came to bat, things didn't look good either.

Also Read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Watch - Black CAT returns to Karachi, interrupts Pakistan vs New Zealand match

Fakhar Zaman injured in 1st over, struggles while batting

On the second ball of the first over of the match, New Zealand opener Will Young drove Shaheen Afridi's delivery through the covers to beat the infield. Fakhar Zaman chased the ball in an attempt to stop it, and in the process, he hurt himself.

He looked in severe discomfort and pain. Hence, he was replaced on the field by a substitute fielder. On the sidelines, he received some treatment from the physio before walking back into the dressing room.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also provided an update on Fakhar Zaman, saying that he was 'being assessed and examined for a muscular sprain'.

Later, Fakhar Zaman returned to the field, being out for just over two hours, and looked in fine shape. Meanwhile, when it was Pakistan's turn to bat, he wasn't allowed to open the innings because was off the field for very long.

Babar Azam opened the innings with Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan came to No.3 with Fakhar walking out to bat at the No.4 spot.

Fakhar tried playing his natural attacking brand of cricket, but after batting for some time, he looked in discomfort. He was not able to run properly and tried hitting the boundaries.

Meanwhile, on the 4th ball of the 14th over, Fakhar mistimed a slap to cover off Glenn Phillips and he instantly collapsed on the ground in serious pain.

The physio came in running to check on the batter after some treatment, Fakhar continued batting. Then, the struggling batter got a lifeline on the fourth ball of the 20th over, when Devon Conway dropped him as the ball popped out of his hands.

The 34-year-old was eventually cleaned up by Michael Bracewell on the 5th ball of the 21st over. He bowled a slider on the stumps and Fakhar went for a big slog-sweep. The Pakistan batter missed his shot, and the ball hit the middle stump.

Bracewell was pumped up after getting the wicket, and he celebrated aggressively as Fakhar Zaman walked back to the hut after scoring 24 runs off 41 balls.

ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Watch - Fakhar Zaman collapses in pain, gets dropped by Devon Conway, and then Michael Bracewell removes him

pic.twitter.com/5iMxrtOxs9

— Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) February 19, 2025

Fakhar zaman got a life. Catch dropped. #PAKvNZ #ChampionsTrophy #convey pic.twitter.com/wDuNh6s265

— Anurag Naik (@maxwellrcb1) February 19, 2025

3rd wicket down Pakistan
Fakhar Zaman #PakvsNz #ChampionsTrophy #PakistanCricket pic.twitter.com/JaOq3dZccY

— Abhishek Rai (@abhirai6296) February 19, 2025

But to get to a decent total as a team is a great deal after losing quick wickets - Will Young

Will Young smashed a sensational 107 runs off 113 balls to help his team post a good total of 320 runs on the board. Speaking to the host broadcasters during the mid-innings break, Will Young said that he was delighted to start the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on a high and help his team register a big score. He said:

"Yeah, it means a great deal. To get at the start of the Champions Trophy means a lot for me. But to get to a decent total as a team is a great deal after losing quick wickets."

Will Young added that they managed to bat well in the middle overs and then finished off the innings in style. He stated:

"We managed to get the ball rolling in the middle overs. It was key for us to get the momentum and to finish that way was icing on the cake."

While talking about the pitch, Will Young asserted that playing the short balls was tough and the spinners were also getting some turn. He said:

"You have to see how the wicket behaves. Batting against the back of the length was difficult. It was turning a fraction too. Hopefully, we will put them under pressure from the word go."