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Pakistan batter Fakhar Zaman's recent controversial comments regarding Babar Azam's omission from the squad for the final two Tests against England have not been received well by the higher authorities. According to a report by Cricbuzz, the veteran player has been issued a show-cause notice by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), and has one week to justify or explain his statement.
Pakistan's newly appointed selection committee dropped a bombshell by not naming key players like Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Naseem Shah after the side's humbling defeat in the series opener. The ace batter was struggling for runs, but his axing was something that was deemed unthinkable.
Fans and pundits have panned the decision drop their finest batters, but a statement coming from Fakhar Zaman, a member of the inner circle, was an entirely different thing. The still-active player issued a tweet minutes before the official squad announcement, where he mentioned that Babar Azam's place being under threat was 'concerning' and compared the horrid run of form to the one Kohli faced after the lockdown period.
"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," Zaman wrote.
"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 elaborated.
The team management have maintained that Babar Azam's omission is not because of his form, but as part of his workload management.
Fakhar Zaman was part of the 'Connection Camp' organized by PCB recently
The 34-year-old batter, being a contracted player, was among the eight candidates present for the Connection Camp which included PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi and coaches, Jason Gillespie and Gary Kirsten. The players had reportedly conveyed their grievances over the way affairs were being run.
Fakhar Zaman had struggled to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to partake in the 2024 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) for the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons. While it was granted, he was recalled back after just playing a handful of matches to play in the domestic List-A tournament, the Champions Cup instead.
