In a surprise move, the Pakistan Cricket Board dropped superstar batter Fakhar Zaman from a squad for the upcoming ODI and T20I series against Australia and Zimbabwe.
The prime reason he is ‘out of favor’ of PCB for disapproving of the board’s decision to drop Babar Azam from the second and third test matches of the recently concluded home Test series against England.
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PCB announced the ODI and T20I squad on Sunday for the upcoming series against Australia and Zimbabwe. Not only was Fakhar Zaman not included in any of the squads but he was excluded from the annual PCB’s central contract. Shadab Khan is also not part of any squad. However, he has been demoted to Category C in the PCB’s Central Contract list.
Fakhar Zaman in his tweet asserted that, “It’s concerning to hear suggestions about dropping Babar Azam. India didn’t bench Virat Kohli during his rough stretch between 2020 and 2023, when he averaged 19.33, 28.21, and 26.50, respectively.”
“If we are considering sidelining our premier batsman, arguably the best Pakistan has ever produced, it could send a deeply negative message across the team. There is still time to avoid pressing the panic button; we should focus on safeguarding our key players rather than undermining them,” he said in his tweet two weeks ago.
“There is an issue regarding his tweet, but it is not as important as his fitness Test. There is a one showcase notice pending on him. This is why we have not been named in the central contracts list,” said Mohsin Naqvi in a press conference on Sunday.
“It cannot happen like that if the selection committee is not playing one player, then the other players start tweeting to express their displeasure. Players are not allowed to function like this, and we will never allow that. The main issue with him is his fitness Test, which he was not able to clear,” he added.
There has been an uproar on social media regarding his removal from the squad. Cricket fans, followers, and analysts are protesting against the removal of Fakhar Zaman.
Netizens suggest the matter should have been sorted out by talks or PCB could have issued a showcase notice to the player for breaching the discipline. Dropping an impactful player like Fakhar Zaman is injustice to him as well as the team.