Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman seems to have landed himself in hot waters with his social media post questioning the selection panel's decision to sideline Babar Azam from the Test side.
The selectors dropped Babar when they announced the squad for the remaining two home Tests against England on Sunday (October 13).
Pakistan are trailing 0-1 in the series after losing the first Test in Multan by an innings and 47 runs. They are facing a must-win situation in the second game to stay alive in the series.
Besides Babar, fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and reserve wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed were also left out of the 16-member squad.
However, Fakhar raised his voice against Babar’s exclusion on social media platform X, citing that India’s star batter Virat Kohli also endured a lean patch between 2020 and 2023 but he was backed by the selectors and the team management.
However, his post hasn’t gone down well with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials and they are reportedly having a word with him.
"The top board officials are not pleased with the tweet sent out by Fakhar and relevant persons are having a word with him about it," a well-informed PCB source said, as quoted by PTI.
The source though disputed Fakhar's tone and said one of the newly inducted selectors, Azhar Ali had spoken to length with Babar on Saturday and explained to him the decision to rest him for the two Tests.
"Azhar made it clear to Babar that he remained an integral part of Pakistan cricket's future set-up and planning," the source added.
Another new selector, Aqib Javed admitted that it had been a challenging task for them to pick squad for the last two Tests.
"We've had to carefully consider current player form, the urgency to bounce back in the series and Pakistan's demanding 2024-25 international schedule. With these factors in mind and in the best interest of Pakistan cricket as well as the players, we've made the decision to rest Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah Afridi," he said.
Aaqib also hoped that this break from international cricket will help these players regain their fitness, confidence and composure, ensuring they return in top shape for future challenges.
