Fakhar Zaman opens up on tweet in support of Babar Azam
- By Web Desk -
- Dec 23, 2024
Pakistan batter Fakhar Zaman has broken his silence on his post in support of Babar Azam when he was dropped from the squad for the England Test series.
Reports said that the left-handed batter was dropped from the squads for the Australia and Zimbabwe tours after he criticised the exclusion of Babar Azam from the Pakistan squad for the last two games against England in the Test home series.
Fakhar Zaman was also left out of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) central contracts list for the 2024-25 international season.
Several including former Pakistan cricketers slammed the PCB’s decision to exclude the batter from the squad for the South Africa tour as Abdullah Shafique had a poor run in the recently concluded PAK v SA ODI series.
Now, Fakhar Zaman has issued a clarification about his snub from the Pakistan squads for recent tours which was attributed to his fitness.
Read more: Fakhar Zaman responds to PCB’s show-cause notice over Babar Azam remarks
During an interview with a private media outlet, the left-handed batter dispelled the reports about him criticising the PCB over the decision to rest Babar Azam.
“Later on, I did think it would have been better if I didn’t do it [the tweet]. But people misunderstood that I criticised the board’s decision, which is 100% wrong,” he said when asked if he could have avoided such a tweet.
Fakhar Zaman mentioned that his tweet was for journalists and former cricketers who were asking to drop the star batter from the Pakistan squad.
“I did the tweet before the team announcement. Around three days before that, when I watched the news, I would see some of our journalists and some ex-players saying that he [Babar Azam] should be dropped. I felt that these people were disregarding all his services and saying he should be dropped, so I did that tweet. I wasn’t criticising the board,” the Pakistan batter said.
Zaman mentioned that he had requested the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for a two-month rest as he was unwell.
“I had an understanding with the PCB that I would rest for two months and I had no idea about my sickness when the team was departing for Australia. Later, I found out that I was suffering from Hyperthyroidism. Now, I am thankful that I did not go with the team because you cannot perform in such a condition,” Fakhar Zaman said.