One opener that has been sidelined by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is Fakhar Zaman, he recently criticized the decision to drop Babar Azam from the Tests. Pakistan were thrashed heavily by England in the first Test, and as a result, the PCB’s new selection committee decided on some bold decisions by benching underperforming cricketers, including Babar Azam for the remaining Tests.
Fakhar Zaman’s Central Contract Taken Away By PCB
He made his displeasure known on social media with an elaborate statement, likening Babar’s current downturn to Indian Virat Kohli’s slide from 2020 to late last year. Speculation arose that after two attacks by Fakhar against the PCB, he was left out of the central contracts.
The chief of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Mohsin Naqvi mentioned during a press conference that Zaman has been given a showcause notice which is still under review, but he is out of the list primarily for fitness reasons.
Zaman’s Fitness Test An Issue For PCB
“There is an issue regarding his tweet, but it is not important as his fitness Test. There is a one showcase notice pending on him. This is why we have not named in the central contracts list,” said Mohsin Naqvi.
“It cannot happen like that if 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, that he was not able to clear,” he added.
Mohammed Rizwan The New Captain Of Pakistan Team
Mohammad Rizwan has been assigned the responsibility to captain ODI and T20I squad, after Babar Azam. The selectors announced the squads for white-ball tours to Australia and Zimbabwe from November 4. Salman Ali Agha has been entrusted with vice-captain charge for all future ODI and T20 international engagements.
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Pakistan will travelling to Australia and will be playing three ODIs and T20Is. The first ODI is set to be played on November 4 in Melbourne. Rizwan will make his first appearance as a captain in that match. Agha has been appointed the captain of the T20I side for the Zimbabwe tour since Rizwan is resting for workload management, according to a PCB statement.