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According to a report, there are concerns related to Fakhar Zaman’s fitness, because of which he was not included in Pakistan’s central contract list for the first time in eight years.
Fakhar Zaman misses out on a central contract for the first time in eight years. (Picture Credit: AFP)
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced Pakistan’s white-ball squads for the upcoming ODI and T20I series against Australia and Zimbabwe on Sunday (October 27). While Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Naseem Shah, who were left out of Pakistan’s Test squad for the last two matches of the recently concluded series against England, were picked for the Australia tour, there was no place for opening batter Fakhar Zaman in the ODI as well as T20I team.
Fakhar, who was Pakistan’s best batter in the ODI World Cup 2023, which was played entirely in India, wasn’t included in any of the four squads released by PCB. In addition to that, he was also dropped from the 2024–25 season central contracts list.
Fakhar, who is the only Pakistani batter to score a double century in ODIs, reportedly failed a fitness test recently, which could be one of the reasons why he was not considered for a place in the side, but many experts believe that he has faced the consequences of questioning PCB’s decision to drop Babar from the Test squad publically.
After Babar was left out of Pakistan’s Test squad for the last two Tests against England on October 13, Fakhar tweeted, “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 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.”
It was reported that some PCB officials were not happy with Fakhar’s tweet, and he was sent a notice by the board.
Fakhar, who played in the last ODI and T20I series for Pakistan, is 34 years old, and he has scored 192, 3492, and 1848 runs in 3 Tests, 82 ODIs, and 92 T20Is, respectively, for Pakistan since making his international debut against the West Indies in a T20I match played at Port of Spain on March 30, 2017.
The left-handed batter became famous after he scored a century in the 2017 Champions Trophy final against India to seal a 180-run win for the Sarfaraz Ahmed-led side.
- Location :
Lahore, Pakistan
