PCB Chief Criticizes Fakhar Zaman for Supporting Babar Azam on Social Media

Fakhar Zaman's prospects of representing Pakistan have taken a significant hit following his exclusion from the centrally contracted players list, and speculation has arisen regarding the impact of a controversial tweet in which he defended Babar Azam. The left-handed batter's tweet came after Babar was dropped from the Test squad for the upcoming matches against England, igniting debates about player conduct within the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi expressed his dissatisfaction with Zaman's public remarks and confirmed that the board viewed the situation as problematic. "There is an issue regarding his tweet, but it is not as important as his fitness test. There is a one-showcause notice pending on him, which is why he has not been named in the central contracts list," Naqvi stated to reporters.

Naqvi emphasized the need for players to adhere to appropriate channels when voicing concerns, indicating that the PCB would not tolerate such actions. "It cannot happen that if the selection committee is not playing one player, the others start tweeting to express their displeasure. Players are not allowed to function like this, and we will never allow that," he asserted.

Fakhar Zaman's tweet was a pointed criticism of the PCB's decision regarding Babar Azam, who is widely regarded as one of Pakistan's finest batsmen. In his post, Zaman referenced India's handling of Virat Kohli during his difficult patch between 2020 and 2023, when Kohli’s performance dipped significantly, but he was not dropped from the squad. Zaman argued that sidelining a player of Babar’s caliber could convey a negative message to the team. He called for a focus on supporting key players rather than undermining them, suggesting that the PCB should avoid making hasty decisions.

In the wake of these developments, Mohammad Rizwan has been appointed as the new captain for Pakistan's white-ball formats, taking over from Babar Azam, who stepped down to concentrate on his personal performance. Rizwan's first series as captain will be against Australia, beginning November 4, and he will be supported by Salman Ali Agha as his deputy.

Despite being dropped from the Test squad, Babar Azam, along with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, has been included in the squad for the white-ball series against Australia. However, the trio will be rested for the upcoming series against Zimbabwe.

Pakistan recently triumphed over England in a three-match Test series, securing a 2-1 victory under the leadership of Shan Masood, marking a positive step for the team despite the ongoing internal controversies.