Fakhar Zaman signs on for three-match BBL stint

The Brisbane Heat have secured the services of Pakistan top-order batter Fakhar Zaman for a three-match stint in January.

Fakhar will replace English batsman Tom Abell, whose stay in the KFC BBL has been cut short, with his knee injury proving more serious than initially indicated. After playing just two matches, Abell has returned home to the UK to recover from a damaged lateral ligament.

Fakhar's first game for the Heat is pencilled in against the Melbourne Renegades in Geelong on January 6.

The left-hander has played 175 T20 games with a career strike-rate of 132.96.

He has played 64 T20 Internationals, 53 One Day Internationals and three Tests to date.

After originally joining the Pakistan navy where he currently holds an honorary rank of Lieutenant, his cricket career took off through a string of ODI highlights.

In July 2018, he became the first Pakistan batsman to score a double century in an ODI and in the same tournament against Zimbabwe, eclipsed the record of Sir Viv Richards to reach 1000 runs in ODIs in the fewest innings.

Playing against South Africa in the second ODI last year, Fakhar scored 193 which was the highest individual score while chasing in an ODI, surpassing the 185 scored by Shane Watson against Bangladesh.

Those two scores make him just one of two players (alongside Rohit Sharma) to boast two 190+ scores in ODI cricket.

He partly attributes his rapid development on working alongside former Brisbane Heat batting trump Brendon McCullum at the Lahore Qalanders in the Pakistan Super League.

Given Queensland border restrictions, Fakhar cannot play in home matches for the Heat on January 8 and 12, with the expectation he will play interstate on January 6, 16 and 19, and possibly finals.

Brisbane Heat coach Wade Seccombe said the club looked forward to bringing Zaman into the squad for the remainder of the competition.

"It's great to have a player of his class available for us at relatively short notice," Seccombe said.

"We're naturally disappointed to lose Tom though and wish him a speedy recovery back home in England.

"Like all the clubs, we certainly value the commitment the international players make to come to play in the BBL and it was a real shame to lose Tom so early in the tournament.

"Fakhar will join us in Melbourne ahead of the game against the Renegades.We are pleased he will be with us for what are shaping as key games.

"He is a classy performer who gets the job done in the teams he has played for so we are confident he can settle in quickly."

The Heat are currently preparing in Hobart for tomorrow's New Year's Day clash with the in-form Hobart Hurricanes.