Fakhar Zaman breaks silence on retirement amid ball-tampering row

At 35, experienced opener commits to T20s after ball-tampering controversy

Last updated: April 07, 2026 | 16:47

Shamseer Mohammed, Staff Writer

Fakhar Zaman has put an end to talk around his T20 International retirement, making it clear that he is not stepping away just yet.

The Pakistan opener shared that he did think about retiring after the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, but that plan did not last long.

“After the World Cup, I had decided to retire from T20 cricket. However, I no longer intend to retire and want to finish my T20 career on a high note”

Fakhar Zaman

At 35, Fakhar is still an important part of Pakistan’s T20 setup. He has played 120 T20 internationals and scored 2,494 runs, striking at over 132. His attacking approach at the top has often given Pakistan strong starts.

He has also been a regular face for Lahore Qalandars in the PSL. This is his 11th season with the team, and he has already crossed 3,000 runs in the league. In 99 matches, he has scored 3,018 runs at a strike rate of 141.82, including 24 fifties and two hundreds.

But his recent PSL match against Karachi Kings brought unwanted attention. Fakhar was accused of tampering with the ball, which is not allowed under the rules.

After a hearing led by match referee Roshan Mahanama, he was given a two match ban. Fakhar denied the charge and asked for a full review, but the PSL Technical Committee decided to keep the ban in place after going through the evidence.

For now, the focus shifts back to cricket. Fakhar has made it clear that he still has more to give in T20s and wants to walk away from the format on a high, whenever that time comes.

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