A Pakistani player is out of the Champions Trophy ahead of the big India game.

 

The news that Pakistan's opener Fakhar Zaman will not play in their match against India on Sunday in Dubai is a huge blow.

 Fakhar has been ruled out of the tournament ahead of the big game against India because he injured himself while fielding in the first over of Pakistan's match against New Zealand in Karachi.

Due to an oblique tear, the experienced batter will miss the big-ticket match, as confirmed by the Pakistan Cricket Board. Fakhar will be replaced in Pakistan's Champions Trophy squad by Imam-ul-Haq. The 27-year-old has played in 72 One-Day Internationals and has scored 3138 runs at an average of 48.3.

 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, and Shaheen Shah Afridi are the new members of Pakistan'

When Pakistan won their first Champions Trophy in 2017, Zaman had been a consistent member of the team. In the summit match against India, the southpaw opener scored a sensational century to lead the victory by 180 runs. 

When Saim Ayub was ruled out of the tournament after twisting his ankle during the Test series in South Africa, Pakistan's home title defense had already been dealt a blow.