Pakistan may miss star white ball batter Fakhar Zaman during their limited overs tour of Australia in November, as per a report by Cricket Pakistan. This news follows the headline removal of Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Naseem Shah from the Test squad for the series against England, ahead of Pakistan’s series-levelling victory in Multan in the second Test.

As per the report made to Cricket Pakistan by PCB sources, Fakhar’s non-inclusion from the squad has to do with fitness concerns, but also partially due to an NOC breach following the southpaw’s X post in support of Babar. As per the report, the public criticism of the PCB’s decision has placed Fakhar in a difficult position with the cricket board.

“Fakhar recently failed a fitness test upon his return from a long trip back from the West Indies, where he was tasked with completing a 2-kilometre run in 8 minutes—a challenge he could not meet,” explained Cricket Pakistan’s source.

“He is currently dealing with knee issues. Although he is fit to play matches and has been participating in domestic cricket, placing additional strain on his knee could lead to a serious injury,” it clarified further. Fakhar last played in an international shirt during the T20 World Cup, but has since been active in domestic cricket.

“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,” Fakhar had posted on X, also comparing the situation to how the Indian team management backed Virat Kohli through his tough spell. The decision to drop Babar Azam came after the former Pakistan captain’s tough spell in Test cricket, where he has averaged just over 20 since the start of 2023.

‘Did not sit well with certain top board officials…’

The PCB reportedly provided a show-cause notice to Fakhar following his public criticism, which also follows the batter’s comments regarding the frustrating delay to provide a no-objection certificate for his participation in the Caribbean Premier League.

“While Aaqib Javed has relaxed the fitness standards for team selection, Fakhar’s candid remarks during the recent connection camp regarding his No Objection Certificate (NOC) did not sit well with certain top board officials (excluding the chairman),” continued the Cricket Pakistan report.

While Babar’s dropping from the Test squad raised eyebrows, his replacement Kamran Ghulam stepped into his shoes in able fashion with a century on debut. Pakistan bounced back well to beat England and provide captain Shan Masood his first Test match victory in seven attempts.

Fakhar Zaman was considered as one of the players in line to receive ODI captaincy honours, but this evolving situation means he may not travel to Australia for this tour, which includes three ODIs and three T20Is. As per Cricket Pakistan, Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha are the frontrunners for white ball captaincy.

Pakistan will look to complete a series victory at home against England in the third Test, to be played in Rawalpindi, as they look to click back into gear after a difficult period for the men’s team in international cricket.

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