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The Pakistan cricket team arrived here on Thursday for the marquee Champions Trophy clash against arch-rivals India scheduled for February 23, hoping to get their campaign back on track after the 60-run loss to New Zealand in the tournament opener.
The team had left for Dubai without senior batter Fakhar Zaman, who got hurt during the opening match against New Zealand in Karachi on Wednesday, and he was later ruled out owing to a recurring knee injury and replaced in the squad by Imam-ul-Haq.
The Pakistan team reached Dubai from Karachi via a special Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft.
The squad was accompanied by six Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials and its chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who will oversee the arrangements for the high-profile clash between the tournament hosts and fierce rivals India, who will be playing all their matches in Dubai as per the hybrid model agreement.
Earlier in the day, the PCB swapped Zaman with Imam after getting the approval from the International Cricket Council's Event Technical Committee.
The 34-year-old, who has played 86 ODIs and averages a little over 46, had suffered a muscle strain while fielding in the New Zealand innings and remained away from the field for most part of the innings.
The injury happened while he was chasing a ball to the boundary in the first over of the contest. Zaman's ouster is a blow to the side as he has been in reasonably good form.
He wasn't able to open the batting in the second innings on Wednesday, forcing Saud Shakeel to take stance as a stop-gap opener.
Zaman batted at No.4, scored 24 off 41, but seemed visibly struggling during his knock during the match which Pakistan lost by 60 runs.
Zaman had made a comeback to the Pakistan side for the Champions Trophy after last playing in the 2023 World Cup in India. The opener has a long history of knee problems.