Veteran Pakistan batter set to announce shock ODI retirement after 2025 Champions Trophy debacle - Reports

Pakistan veteran batter Fakhar Zaman has reportedly decided to retire from ODI cricket after his curtailed 2025 Champions Trophy campaign. The left-handed opener was injured in the Men in Green's opening clash against New Zealand, and was ruled out ahead of the high-profile clash against India in Dubai.

Fakhar Zaman was a surprise inclusion in the Pakistan squad after not being considered for the white-ball assignments in South Africa and Australia. He was reportedly sidelined by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for his comments in support of Babar Azam during the home series against England in 2024.

The opener had also had tussles with the board regarding No Objection Certificates (NOC) for overseas leagues. He was asked to report for domestic competitions after having just joined the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in the 2024 Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

According to a report by Samaa TV, Zaman is strongly considering ODI retirement because of his health issues. The veteran is dealing with an injury as mentioned above, but is also struggling with his hyperthyroidism issues.

Doctors have advised him to rest for two and a half months, while Pakistan are scheduled to play a white-ball series against New Zealand soon after the Champions Trophy.

“Champions Trophy will be my last ICC tournament. I want to take a break from ODI cricket," Zaman said during his recent conversations, as quoted in the report (via News 18).

Fakhar Zaman played 86 ODIs and scored 3651 runs at an average of 46.21. He holds the record for the highest score recorded by a Pakistani batter in the format, and also scored a historic ton in the 2017 Champions Trophy final against India.

Pakistan's Fakhar Zaman contemplating relocating abroad with his family

While his involvement with the national team has drastically reduced over the years, he continues to be a prized commodity in the franchise T20 circle. He played for the Desert Vipers in the International League T20 (ILT20) earlier this year.

The report also mentioned that Fakhar Zaman is open to the idea of relocating with his family away from Pakistan to be open to more opportunities in the final years of his cricketing career.