SYDNEY: On Thursday, Mohammad Haris was selected to join Pakistan's 15-man team for the present Men's T20 World Cup in Australia as a replacement for injured left-handed batter Fakhar Zaman.

A travelling reserve Haris was named as a replacement after Zaman was ruled out of the tournament because of sustaining a posterior cruciate ligament injury to his right knee.

Zaman wasn't initially included in Pakistan's roster for the championship match due to a knee ailment. He eventually replaced leg-spinner Usman Qadir in the starting lineup.

Prior to making a comeback into the playing eleven for the Group 2 encounter against Netherlands in Perth, when Zaman scored 20 runs off of 16 balls, he was unable to participate in Pakistan's Super 12 losses to India and Zimbabwe.

However, he developed new knee problems during the game and is now officially out of the competition, leaving Pakistan without him for crucial matches against South Africa and Bangladesh.

"It goes without saying that full healing from a knee injury requires time. Fakhar and the squad were aware of the dangers of competing in the event, thus we were able to get him in. You saw how well he batted in the last game, but he regrettably had a slight twist that made his injury worse." "The dangers of the comeback were known to us. He definitely contributes much to the team. That was known to the player, the medical team, and the team administration. We made the choice to let him back in. We take chances in sports, including cricket. They occasionally pay off, but occasionally don't, "ESPNCricinfo cited Pakistan team doctor Najeebullah Soomro as saying.

Pakistan will look on Asif Ali, Haider Ali, and Khushdil Shah to bolster their batting order in their two must-win games in Zaman's absence, which may be enough for them to secure a semi-final spot.

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