New Delhi: Pakistan batter Fakhar Zaman has landed in trouble after tweeting in support of his teammate Babar Azam, who was dropped from the Test squad for the remaining two matches in the ongoing series against England. Fakhar has been issued a show cause notice by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over his controversial tweet where he questioned the selection panel and the board.
Fakhar’s tweet came right before PCB announced Pakistan’s squad for the remaining two Test matches against England. The selectors made big changes in the squad as Babar was dropped from the squad along with pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah. Fakhar’s remarks didn’t go down well with the PCB top brass and he was sent a show-cause notice on Monday.
The selectors made big changes in Pakistan’s Test squad in the wake of the hosts’ crushing defeat by an innings and 47 runs in the first Test in Multan. Pakistan became the first Test to lose a Test match by an innings despite having posted a total of over 500 runs in their first innings. Babar’s lean patch in Tests was also one of the reasons behind his axing.
Tweeting in Babar’s support, Fakhar compared the former Pakistan skipper’s situation with that of Team India star Virat Kohli and urged the selectors to reverse their decision of dropping the star batter. He also stated that the decision to drop Babar would send a negative message to the rest of the players in the Pakistan setup.
“It is 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,” Fakhar said in his tweet which went viral.
“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 added.
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…
— Fakhar Zaman (@FakharZamanLive) October 13, 2024
PCB gives deadline to Fakhar Zaman
Pakistan Cricket Board has issued a deadline to Fakhar Zaman to clarify his stand on the matter. As per a report in Cricbuzz, the opening batter has been given a time of 7 days to ‘explain his position’ to the PCB.
Zaman had earlier issued a complaint to PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi over the treatment issued to him by the PCB director of international cricket operations, Usman Wahla. The batter had accused Wahla of delaying NOC to him to take part in the T20 leagues around the world.
Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman has received a show cause notice from PCB after his controversial tweet supporting Babar Azam. Fakhar had targeted the selectors and the board in his tweet against Babar’s axing from Pakistan’s Test squad. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
