Fakhar Zaman breaks silence on his post in support of Babar Azam

Pakistan batter Fakhar Zaman broke his silence on Monday over his post in support of star batter Babar Azam back in October.

During Pakistan’s home series against England, Fakhar, in a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, expressed his disappointment over the exclusion of Babar from the last two Tests after a string of poor performances.

Following the post, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issued a show-cause notice to Fakhar and left him out of the central contracts. The explosive batter was also not considered for the tours of Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

While the PCB cited fitness issues for Fakhar’s exclusion, critics suggested that his supportive post about Babar was the real reason.

During an interview with a private media outlet, Fakhar addressed the whole situation and clarified the reason behind his post.

“I did think [later] it would have been better if I didn’t do it [the post]. 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 post.

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Fakhar Zaman mentioned that his post was targeted at journalists and former cricketers who were asking to drop Babar Azam from the Pakistan squad.

“I did the tweet before the team announcement. I was watching the news from the last 2-3 days prior to the tweet and some of the journalists and ex-players were saying that he [Babar Azam] should be dropped,” he added.

“I felt that these people were disregarding all his services and saying he should be dropped. It was coming to my mind again and again which prompted me do to that tweet.

“But I tweeted it before the announcement. I wouldn’t have done it after the announcement as I am a cricketer myself and also a centrally contracted player of the PCB. I have to play cricket in the future as well.”

While addressing his fitness issues, he mentioned that he had requested the 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,” he revealed.

“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.”

READ: Mohammad Amir comments on Babar Azam-Virat Kohli comparison