“A 100%, I will play for Pakistan (again),” Fakhar, 34, told the Vipers Voices podcast. “Actually, many people do not know about that, but after the T20 World Cup I got sick and because of the medical condition I was not fit, so I was not a part of the team.
“But now I [have] recovered 100%, and you will see me in the next white-ball series which Pakistan play.”
Fakhar, once an integral part of the Pakistan white-ball setup, has not played international cricket since the 2024 T20 World Cup last June in the USA and West Indies, where Pakistan were eliminated in the group stage. He last played an ODI in the 2023 ODI World Cup but is hopeful of returning for the Champions Trophy at home.
“That was in the back of my mind, and I am thankful, and I am lucky to be fit right now. I started from the Champions Trophy 2017 and that went really well for me and now I am very excited for the next edition also. I talked to the selectors, the head coach, and everyone wanted me to play in the Champions Trophy.”
“I hope and I believe that he will recover quickly, and I was thinking yesterday to call 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 amongst the top three 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 may not find a slot 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,” Fakhar said. “If the team has faith in me and they want me to bat at number four or five, that totally makes sense, because for me the team is always first and I play wherever the team wants me to play, but I always prefer to open.”
Fakhar is currently gearing up for his maiden ILT20 stint where he will feature for the 2023 runners-up 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 talk really highly about this team, the environment, the management, the way they play the cricket and the way 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 the Dubai Capitals taking on MI Emirates in Dubai.
