The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has issued a show-cause notice to opening batter Fakhar Zaman over his post about star batter Babar Azam. The newly appointed selection committee on Sunday dropped Babar, along with Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sarfaraz Ahmed from the squad for the ongoing second and upcoming third Test against England. Following the announcement, Fakhar Zaman took to his official X (formerly Twitter) account and expressed his disappointment. He cited the example of how India treated Virat Kohli during his rough phase from 2020 to 2023. “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,” Fakhar posted.

The left-handed batter praised Babar, calling him the best Pakistani batter of all time, while highlighting the need to make calculated moves rather than ‘pressing the panic button.’ “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,” he added. Consequently, the following day, the PCB issued a show-cause notice to Fakhar over breaching the Code of Conduct. The cricket board has sought the explosive batter to respond to the notice by October 21. It’s worth noting that the second Test between Pakistan and England is currently underway in Multan, while the third and final match of the series will be played in Rawalpindi from 15 October.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan