Mohammad Rizwan has backed recently axed Pakistan opener, Fakhar Zaman. Having been appointed the captain of white-ball cricket before the Australia tour, the wicketkeeper batter feels the southpaw can return and that the matter the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has with him will be resolved soon.
For the unaware, Fakhar had made a post on his X account criticising PCB’s decision to drop Babar Azam from their Test side midway through the England home Tests. However, the ‘dissent’ didn’t sit well with the board. Fakhar was handed a show cause notice, culled from PCB’s central contracts for 2024-25, and dropped from the team prior to the Australian white-ball tour after being declared unfit for allegedly failing a 2-km run test.
Rizwan hopes Fakhar Zaman-PCB matter will be resolved
Before the Australia tour kicks off on November 4, Rizwan accepted that Fakhar is an influential player who can flip the game on its head, and that’s why he rates him very highly. “There’s no question about Fakhar’s impact; he is an influential player who can change the game singlehandedly on any condition,” Rizwan told The News International.
But Rizwan also realises that he can’t do much. Right now, the PCB has taken away any power the head coaches and captains have over team selection and handed them to the newly formed selection committee. However, the wicketkeeper claimed that he’s discussed how Fakhar can return to the team and hopes everything will be resolved soon. “While some decisions are beyond my control, we have discussed his potential return and hope the matter will soon be resolved,” the Pakistani captain added.
Pakistan’s squad for Australia white-ball tour
ODIs: Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (C & WK), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (VC), Shaheen Shah Afridi
T20Is: Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan (C & WK), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha (VC), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan
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