Fakhar Zaman, Pakistan’s opening batsman, has been embroiled in yet another controversy after the Pakistan Cricket Board sent him a show-cause notice for tweeting about one of the key decisions made by the league, which is being discussed in advance of Pakistan’s second Test match against England in Multan, which is set to start on October 15, 2024.
Fakhar criticized Pakistan for pressing the “panic button” too quickly and called Babar Azam the country’s “premier batsman.”
In addition, he impliedly blamed the PCB by pointing to the dry spell of star Indian batsman Virat Kohli and reaffirming the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s strength.
Check the post below:
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…
— Fakhar Zaman (@FakharZamanLive) October 13, 2024
The Free Press Journal said that the PCB has given the left-handed batter one week to return to their show cause notice, in accordance with media reports that surfaced immediately after.
Exclusive Breaking
Fakhar Zaman in trouble, PCB Issued Showcase notice to Fakhar Zaman on tweet regarding Babar Azam pic.twitter.com/z80EqUxO8k
— ٰImran Siddique (@imransiddique89) October 14, 2024
The ideal moment to rest Babar was now: Azhar Mahmood
The same topic was recently discussed by Azhar Mahmood, Pakistan’s assistant coach. He did praise Babar’s professional skills, but he also blamed the dismissal of Babar and the others on the PCB giving them priority for the forthcoming away tours following the England series.
“Babar is our best athlete. There’s no doubt about it. His method and aptitude. Pakistan’s FTP shows that there will be a lot of cricket matches in the future. The selecting committee concluded that now was the ideal moment to rest Babar as a result. In addition to a trip to South Africa, we must then travel to Australia and Zimbabwe. Thus, that’s crucial,” Mahmood said, as India Today cited him.
Also Read: Azhar Mahmood: We have a clear idea of what pitches to prepare
Interestingly, Kohli’s lean patch was significantly superior to Babar’s; in 2020 and 2023, he scored 1375 runs in 37 innings in T20Is, 2239 runs in 47 innings in ODIs, and 588 runs in 48 innings in Test matches.
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