The Pakistan cricket team left for Dubai for the marquee Champions Trophy clash against arch-rivals India without opener Fakhar Zaman, who suffered an injury during the opening match against New Zealand in Karachi on February 19.
The left-handed batter has been replaced by Imam-ul Haq in Pakistan's squad.
Zaman suffered a muscle strain while fielding in the New Zealand innings and was away from the field for most part of the innings.
The 34-year-old suffered the injury while chasing the ball to the boundary in the first over of the contest.
He wasn't able to open the batting in Pakistan’s innings, forcing Saud Shakeel to take stance as a stop-gap opener.
Zaman batted at No.4 and scored 24 off 41, but seemed visibly struggling during his knock.
Pakistan lost the match by 60 runs.
Zaman, who has a long history of knee problems, made a comeback to the Pakistan team for the Champions Trophy after last playing in the 2023 World Cup in India.
Pakistan's updated squad:
Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Babar Azam, Imam-ul Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
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