“I 100% want to play for Pakistan (again),” Fakhar, 34, added Viper’s Voices podcast. “Actually, many people don’t know about it, but after the T20 World Cup, I fell ill and due to the medical condition, I was not fit, so I was not part of the team.
“But now I am [have] recovered 100% and you will see me in the next white-ball series Pakistan play.”
Once an integral part of Pakistan’s white-ball setup, Fakhar has not played international cricket since last June’s 2024 T20 World Cup in USA and West Indies, where Pakistan were eliminated in the group stage. He last played an ODI in the 2023 ODI World Cup but hopes to return for the Champions Trophy on home soil.
“It was in the back of my mind and I’m grateful and I’m lucky to be fit right now. I started from Champions Trophy 2017 and it went really well for me and now I’m 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 thought yesterday of calling Saim just to talk to him about this injury,” Fakhar said. “Believe me, he is such a great player that if he continues to play for the next four to five years, he will be at the top and he will be among the three best players in the world.”
“In Pakistan we have three of the best players in the world in Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Saim Ayub, so sometimes I feel lucky to be in the team even if I am not able to make my place in the team as an opener. “
Fakhar Zaman
While Fakhar wants to open the batting for Pakistan, he cannot 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 in Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Saim Ayub, so sometimes I feel lucky to be in the team even if I am not able to make my place in the team as an opener. ” said Fakhar. “If the team has faith in me and they want me to bat number four or five, it makes complete sense because for me the team is always first and I play where the team wants me to play, but I prefer always to open.”
Fakhar is currently preparing for his first ILT20 effort where he will feature in the 2023-almost Desert Vipers. “There are many Pakistani players who have played for the Desert Vipers, including Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Azam Khan and Mohammad Amir, and they speak highly of this team, the environment, the management, the way they play cricket and the way , they play on. their mindset is,” Fakhar said. “So when I got the offer, without any discussion with anyone, I said ‘yes, I would love to play for this team’.”
The ILT20 begins on January 11 with Dubai Capitals taking on MI Emirates in Dubai.
