Champions Trophy 2025: Why Fakhar Zaman Didn’t Open in Pakistan’s Chase vs New Zealand?

Pakistan had to make an unexpected change in their batting order while chasing 321 against New Zealand in the opening match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Regular opener Fakhar Zaman, known for his aggressive batting, did not walk out to open the innings. Instead, Saud Shakeel was sent alongside Babar Azam at the start of Pakistan’s chase.

Why Was Fakhar Zaman Not Allowed to Open?

Fakhar Zaman was forced to stay off the field for a while after an injury scare during Pakistan’s bowling innings. In the very first over, he attempted to stop a shot from New Zealand’s opener Will Young but ended up hurting himself. As a result, he had to leave the field for treatment.

According to ICC rules, any player who leaves the field during the opposition’s innings must spend the same amount of time on the field before they can bat. If the time spent off-field exceeds eight minutes, they cannot bat until that duration has passed or until five wickets have fallen.

Since Fakhar was off the field for more than the permitted time, he had to wait for at least 25 minutes before becoming eligible to bat.

What Do ICC Rules Say About Fielding Absence?

The ICC playing conditions clearly state that:

• If a player is off the field for more than eight minutes, they must serve an equal time on the field before they can bowl or bat.
• The maximum penalty time a player can serve is 120 minutes.
• If a player leaves the field due to an external injury, they may be exempted from penalty time. However, this decision is at the umpires’ discretion.
• If five wickets fall before the penalty time is served, the player can bat immediately.

Fakhar Zaman’s absence at the top meant Pakistan had to alter their batting combination. Saud Shakeel, who usually bats in the middle order, was pushed up as an opener.