New Delhi: Opening batter Fakhar Zaman is disappointed after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) snubbed him from the list of centrally contracted players for the upcoming season. This wasn’t the only gloomy news for the southpaw as he was also not included in the squads for the upcoming white-ball series against Australia and Zimbabwe. However, according to a report in PTI, none of it is making him think of retiring from international cricket.
“Look, he is obviously upset and disappointed because the selectors and board have apparently applied different sets of rules while taking fitness tests and clearing players,” a source close to Zaman said as quoted by PTI. Zaman, the only Pakistan batter with a double hundred in ODIs, has been carrying a knee niggle which first came to light in 2022. According to the source, he was unhappy because of the partialty of the selectors.
Zaman had failed to clear the 2km sprint test in the given time but was upset when some other players were picked in the team despite not meeting the required time. “He feels clarity is required from the selectors on why some players are being favoured,” the source added.
What did the PCB chairman say?
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi informed the media on Sunday that Zaman wasn’t only ousted because of his tweet over Babar Azam’s selection, a breach of the board’s code of conduct. Naqvi cited Zaman’s poor fitness standards as a major reason to look past him for the moment. “The matter of him breaching the code of conduct will be looked into by a committee but he has apparently responded to the show cause notice sent to him,” Naqvi said during the media interaction.
“But primary reason is that he has not been 100 percent fit in recent times and has failed fitness tests. The selectors have told him to rehab and clear the fitness tests,” Naqvi added. Meanwhile, a set of people also believe that some PCB officials have not taken kindly to Zaman’s criticism of the performance when the PCB held a meeting last month. According to them, this is a punishment for Zaman for being open in that meeting.
