Aqib Javed explains Fakhar Zaman's exclusion from SA tour

White-ball coach Aqib Javed has revealed the reason behind the decision to exclude batter Fakhar Zaman from the Pakistan squad for the upcoming South Africa tour.

Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced squads for the upcoming South Africa tour, scheduled from 10 December to 7 January where the national team is set to play three T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests.

While former Pakistan captain Babar Azam, current white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha were named in the Pakistan squads for all three series, Fakhar Zaman missed out on making it to the Pakistan squad.

Member selection committee and white-ball head coach Aqib Javed revealed that the left-handed batter was not considered for selection due to fitness issues.

According to Javed, Fakhar Zaman is ‘yet to regain form and match fitness’ to be considered for selection in the Pakistan squad.

“Our aim is to maintain consistency in ODI selections as part of our ICC Champions Trophy 2025 preparations, while also giving emerging talent opportunities in T20Is alongside experienced players. For Tests, we have focused on assembling a squad that can adapt to challenging conditions and consistently compete at the highest level,” Aqib Javed said.

It is worth noting here that Fakhar Zaman was left out of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s central contracts list for the 2024-25 international season in October.

He also failed to make it to the Pakistan squad for Australia and Zimbabwe tours.

The development came after the opening batter criticised the decision to drop Babar Azam from the Pakistan squad for the last two games against England in this year’s Test home series.

In a post on X, Fakhar Zaman urged to focus on safeguarding key players rather than undermining them.