Fakhar Zaman. PC- Getty-ICC
Fakhar Zaman. PC- Getty-ICC

Mohammad Haris was picked as Pakistan’s replacement for the injured Fakhar Zaman ahead of their match against South Africa on Thursday.

Zaman, who arrived in Australia with a knee ailment, worsened it during Pakistan’s victory over the Netherlands on Sunday. The left-handed hitter was not included in the original 15-man World Cup roster due to an injury.

Mohammad Haris
Mohammad Haris. Image: Twitter

Later, he was appointed to the contingent in place of Usman Qadir. Zaman missed Pakistan’s defeats to India and Zimbabwe but returned for their third game when he aggravated the problem.

The ICC stated in a press release on Thursday that reserve player Haris was added to the roster as a replacement for Fakhar, and the move was accepted by the Event Technical Committee.

Fakhar Zaman. PC- Getty
Fakhar Zaman. PC- Getty

“The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 Event Technical Committee has authorized Mohammad Haris as a replacement for Fakhar Zaman in the Pakistan team. Haris was designated as a replacement after Zaman was ruled out with a right knee posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury.”

Fakhar Zaman knew the risks going into the tournament with the injury:

The team and Zaman were aware of the risks before entering the competition with the injury, as per Pakistani team doctor Najeebullah Soomro.

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“Obviously, with any knee injury, it takes time to have a 100% recovery. Fakhar and the team understood the risks of coming into the tournament and we got him in. You saw how he performed with batting in the last match. Unfortunately, in the last match, he had a bit of a twist which aggravated his injury,” said Soomro.

Fakhar Zaman
Fakhar Zaman. (Photo: Twitter)

Due to his knee issues, middle-order batsman Zaman was originally left out of Pakistan’s 15-man T20 World Cup squad and was inserted as a risky last-minute substitute for legspinner Usman Qadir.

Before playing against the Netherlands in Perth on Sunday, where he hit 20 off 16 balls but worsened his knee injury, Fakhar missed the losses to India and Zimbabwe.

Pakistan will play South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground later Thursday, and a win will keep their slim prospects of reaching the semi-finals alive.

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