The Pakistan Cricket Board has reportedly issued a show cause notice to left-handed batter Fakhar Zaman over his remarks targeting national selectors for dropping former skipper Babar Azam for the second and third Test matches against England.
Zaman came out in support of struggling Babar after reports claimed that the Pakistan Board is likely to drop their star batter from the next two Test matches. His post came minutes before the Pakistan squad for the remainder of the England series was announced, and as it turned out, Babar was not included alongside Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah. A report in Cricbuzz has stated that the PCB has issued a show cause notice to the cricketer and he has a week to explain his position to the board.
"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," Zaman wrote in a post on X moments before the squad was announced.
Notably, Zaman had earlier complained to the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi about the delay in NOC procedure by PCB director Usman Wahla for franchise leagues around the world.
Meanwhile, while announcing the squad, the PCB had stated that it had rested Babar, Shaheen and Naseem. "Taking into consideration the current form and fitness of key players and looking ahead to Pakistan’s future assignments in the 2024-25 international cricket season, the selectors have decided to give rest to Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Abrar Ahmed (who is recovering from dengue fever) was unavailable for selection," the PCB had said.
Pakistan have also named their Playing XI for the 2nd Test against the Three Lions, beginning from October 15. As many as four spinners are part of the Playing XI with Aamer Jamal the only pace option as the match will be played on the same pitch.
Pakistan's Playing XI:
Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (captain), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan and Zahid Mehmood
