Fakhar Zaman issued show-cause notice over Babar Azam tweet

Fakhar Zaman attracted trouble after tweeting about Babar Azam's alleged dropping from the second Test between Pakistan and England in Multan. 

The swashbuckling left-hander posted on October 13 on his X (formerly Twitter) account saying that “it’s concerning to hear suggestions about dropping Babar Azam,” who is not only a “premier batsman” of the side, but also “arguably the best Pakistan has ever produced.”

Zaman also compared Babar’s treatment by the Pakistan team to how Virat Kohli was supported by the Indian team when he had a dip in his form. “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,” Zaman wrote in his post. 

Eventually, Pakistan didn’t include Babar in the second Test. According to Zaman, “It could send a deeply negative message across the team,” and the focus should be on “Safeguarding our key players rather than undermining them.”

After this, the PCB sent him a show cause notice to explain his remarks about the selection committee. He has seven days from the date of the letter sent to respond to it. 

It’s notable that Babar, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah’s exclusion from the second Test raised many eyebrows, as despite the recent lack of performances from the first two, Naseem has been bowling well, and in rhythm. 

Kamran Ghulam, who came in as Babar’s replacement, has already scored a century on Test debut after Pakistan batted first. They lost two wickets early and were 19/2 when Ghulam, along with Saim Ayub, stabilised the innings and capitalised on the run-scoring opportunities offered to him by the English bowlers on a tricky pitch. 

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