Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman has ended speculation about his T20I future, saying he has no immediate plans to retire despite the recent controversy during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 season.
The 35-year-old is currently serving a two-game ban in the PSL, after being found guilty of ball-tampering, he admitted that he was considering quitting international T20 teams after the 2026 T20 World Cup. However, he has since changed his mind.
“I have decided to retire from T20 cricket after the World Cup. However, I am not going to retire any more and I want to finish my T20 career on a high,” Fakhar said, according to Geo News.
Fakhar has been one of Pakistan’s most reliable performers in T20Is. In 120 matches, he scored 2,494 runs at a strike rate of 132.51, including 14 fifties. Although he spent most of the T20 World Cup on the sidelines, he made an immediate impact when he was selected for the must-win Super 8 match against Sri Lanka.
To chase a place in the semi-finals, Pakistan needed to win by at least 65 runs, a target they ultimately fell short of. However, Fakhar excelled with an aggressive 84 off 42 balls, hitting nine fours and four sixes. The exit marked Pakistan’s fourth consecutive ICC tournament without a semi-final appearance under captain Salman Ali Agha.
Fakhar has also been a mainstay for Lahore Qalandars in the PSL, scoring 3,018 runs in 99 matches at a strike rate of 141.82, with 24 fifties and two centuries.
His recent suspension came after an incident during a match against Karachi Kings at the Gaddafi Stadium. Fakhar was found guilty of a level 3 breach of the PSL Code of Conduct related to ball tampering. He challenged the decision, but the appeal was dismissed.
In a statement, the Pakistan Cricket Board said the PSL Technical Committee upheld the two-match ban after examining the evidence and hearing all submissions, upholding the sanction imposed by match referee Roshan Mahanama.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
07 Apr 2026 21:14 IST
