Pakistan national cricket team batsman Fakhar Zaman has been under the radar of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The leadoff hitter, however, has only himself to blame and it is unclear whether he will return to the team or not.
Fakhar Zaman found himself in the middle of controversy after he came up with the social media post after Babar Azam was dropped from the last two Tests against the England national cricket team. The batter played the first game and then missed the last two.
When Babar Azam, who was going through a poor patch in Tests, was dropped from Fakhar, he sent a message to the Pakistan Cricket Board, urging them to value their key players. He came out in favor of the hitter and said passing up important plays sends the wrong message.
PCB asked Fakhar Zaman to ‘explain his position’ on Babar Azam tweet
However, the Pakistan Cricket Board did not take this positively. The governing body issued a show-cause notice to Fakhar for his tweet about Babar Azam and asked him to “explain his position” to senior officials of the governing body.
Not only this, Fakhar was also terminated from the PCB’s one-year contract and was even dropped from Pakistan’s squad for the upcoming white-ball tour to Australia and Zimbabwe. President Mohsin Naqvi also mentioned that such things are not tolerable and the batsman was dropped due to his physical condition and his tweet.
Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to go easy on Fakhar Zaman
However, now the Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to go easy on Fakhar. Reports from Cricket Pakistan suggested that the governing body has shown flexibility in the matter. This came after the first batsman clearly presented his position in response to the PCB’s show cause notice.
Reports claim that the Pakistan Cricket Board wants a logical solution to the matter and positive developments related to Zaman’s case are expected in the coming days. There is a good chance that the problem will be resolved and the batsman will have room to maneuver.
Mohammad Rizwan has spoken out in favor of Fakhar Zaman
Reports also claimed that Pakistan National Cricket Team’s newly appointed white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan also spoke out in favor of Fakhar. The wicketkeeper-batsman wants the opening batsman to return to the team, especially with the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, taking place in Pakistan, just around the corner.
It is also learned that with Mohammad Rizwan supporting Fakhar, the Pakistan Cricket Board may be considering a path for a comeback, marking a positive change in the player’s standing with the board.
It remains to be seen if Fakhar Zaman will return to the team for the upcoming white-ball tours to Australia and Zimbabwe. He has been one of the team’s best white-ball batsmen and PCB would not want to keep him on the sidelines for long.