"This was the only reason I was out of the team" - Pakistan opener breaks silence after earning recall for Champions Trophy 2025

Veteran Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman has shed light on his medical condition that kept him out of the team for a long time. With the left-handed batter earning a recall for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, he has revealed that he was battling a disease called hyperthyroidism that led to significant complications.

A bonafide six-hitter, Zaman is a crucial cog in Pakistan's batting line-up, especially in the limited-overs format but hasn't donned the national colours since the T20 World Cup last year. Nevertheless, the 34-year-old also landed in trouble after tweeting against the selectors for dropping Babar Azam during the Test series against England last year.

Speaking to Salman Butt on the PCB podcast, the veteran revealed that he had lost 10kg due to the aforementioned condition and it also caused his muscles to weaken. He said:

"Anyone can fall sick. I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, which led to a weight loss of 10 kg and weakened my muscles. This was the only reason I was out of the team—there was nothing else. I am fully fit now, but the first four to five matches in domestic cricket were tough, and I felt as if I had forgotten how to play."

The Pakistan batter was preparing for the tri-series against South Africa and New Zealand at the ILT20. However, he gave underwhelming returns, managing 222 runs in nine matches at 27.75. He fared fairly better in the Champions One-day Cup 2024, aggregaring 176 runs in five matches, averaging 35.20.

Fakhar Zaman hopes to carry forward his good performance from 2017 Champions Trophy for Pakistan

Fakhar Zaman. (Image Credits: Getty)

With Fakhar Zaman scoring a match-winning hundred against India in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, the left-hander hopes to make the upcoming edition even more memorable for Pakistan. He said:

"I will try my best to make this Champions Trophy even more memorable for myself and the team."

Speaking about Babar Azam, the veteran stated:

"I believe he will perform well as an opener and make things easier for me."

The defending champions will open their CT 2025 campaign against New Zealand on February 19 in Karachi.