Pakistan's Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman with Virat Kohli.
Pakistan's Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman with Virat Kohli. Image Credit: X

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been hit by another controversy after their players took on social media to blame the system after they dropped their best batter and star of the country, Babar Azam, for the second of the three-match Test series of the ongoing series against England at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

The former Pakistan captain has been going through a very rough patch for more than a year. He struggled to get going in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, where they failed to qualify for the semifinal of the event before the same poor form extended in the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA).

In the recent Test series against Bangladesh, which Pakistan went on to lose, Babar couldn’t make a huge contribution, and the same happened during the first of the three-match series against England at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

Pakistan board officials not happy with Fakhar Zaman’s comments 

The board has decided to drop him for the second Test of the series at the same place, but his partner in the ODI side, Fakhar Zaman, the opening batter, had cautioned the selectors against making such decisions addressing how Virat Kohli wasn’t benched by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

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“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.” Zaman wrote on ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter).

The left-handed batter, who is a teammate of Babar, has displayed his concerns over Babar Azam being dropped from the squad, as he cited how India didn’t bench Kohli in spite of his low returns between 2020 and 2023.

“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.” Fakhar Zaman added.

Last year, the former Pakistan captain featured in five Tests where he could add 204 runs at an average of under 23 and a strike rate of around 50, with the help of no half-centuries and a best score of 41. In this ongoing year, he has cracked 148 runs at an average of below 19 and a best score of 31.

On Sunday, Pakistan dropped four players for the remainder of the Test series against England, in the form of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Sarfaraz Ahmed.

The post of Fakhar has gone viral, but the PCB officials haven’t been satisfied with the news agency.

“The top board officials are not pleased with the tweet sent out by Fakhar, and relevant persons are having a word with him about it.” A well-informed PCB source was quoted, as said by PTI.

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Pakistan will be making a trip for the white-ball series in Australia in November before they fly to Zimbabwe for another series. In South Africa, they will take part in a full series consisting of Tests, ODIs, and T20Is before hosting the West Indies at home.

As a preparation for the Champions Trophy 2025 at home, they will participate in a tri-series involving South Africa and New Zealand. The PCB will have to make some tough decisions in the end.