“100% I will play (again) for Pakistan,” Fakhar, 34, told the Podcast Voices of Vipers. “Actually, many people don’t know this, but after the T20 World Cup, I fell ill and because of my health problem, I was not fit, so I was not part of the squad. team.
“But now I [have] recovered 100%, and you will see me in the next white ball series that Pakistan will play.
Fakhar, once an integral part of Pakistan’s white-ball team, has not played international cricket since the 2024 T20 World Cup last June in the United States and West Indies, where Pakistan were eliminated in the group stage . He last played an ODI in the 2023 ODI World Cup, but will hope to return for the Champions Trophy at home.
“It was on my mind, and I’m grateful, and I’m lucky to be in good shape at the moment. I started with the 2017 Champions Trophy and it went very well for me and now I am also very excited for the next edition. “I spoke to the selectors, the head coach and everyone wanted me to play in the Champions Trophy. “
“I hope and believe that he will recover quickly, and I was thinking of calling Saim yesterday just to talk to him about this injury,” Fakhar said. “Believe me, he is such a great player that if he continues playing for the next four or five years, he will be at the top and he will be among the top three players in the world.”
“In Pakistan we have three of the best players in the world, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Saim Ayub, so sometimes I feel lucky to be in the team even if I fail to make a place in the team in as an opener.
Fakhar Zaman
While Fakhar wants to open the batting for Pakistan, he might not find a place there, with Ayub, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan already at the top of the order.
“In Pakistan we have three of the best players in the world, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Saim Ayub, so sometimes I feel lucky to be in the team even if I fail to make a place in the team in as an opener,” Fakhar said. “If the team has confidence in me and wants me to bat at number four or five, it makes perfect sense because for me the team always comes first and I play where the team wants me to play, but I always prefer to open “.
Fakhar is currently preparing for his first stint at ILT20 where he will feature for 2023 finalists Desert Vipers. “Many Pakistani players have played for Desert Vipers, including Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Azam Khan and Mohammad Amir, and they speak very highly of this team, the environment, the management, the way they play in cricket and the way they play cricket their mindset is the same,” Fakhar said. “So when I got the offer, without any discussion with anyone, I said ‘yes, I would love to play for this team.'”
ILT20 begins on January 11, with Dubai Capitals taking on MI Emirates in Dubai.
