The selection of the left-handed opening batter of the Pakistan cricket team, Fakhar Zaman, for the upcoming three-match ODI and as many as T20I of the upcoming Australia trip appears to be in jeopardy due to his ongoing knee problem, which cost him good marks on the recent fitness test.
Fakhar Zaman has already found himself under disciplinary action for his social media post on the drop of Babar Azam, his former captain of the national side, due to his poor ongoing form from the second of the three-match Test series against England at the Multan Cricket Stadium. The opener questioned some of the decisions of the selectors.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) senior members are reportedly unhappy with the veteran batter, whose outspoken nature has put him in huge trouble recently. When it comes to the shortest format of the game, he has notched up 1848 T20I runs in 92 games at an average of under 23 but a decent strike rate of over 130.
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However, his numbers in Australia haven’t been healthy, with just 22 runs in three innings at an average of less than eight and a strike rate of below 100. Against that opposition, though, Fakhar Zaman has bashed 252 runs in nine innings at an average of over 31 and a strike rate of 153.66, with the help of three half-centuries.
All these prospects of giving the Green Brigade some rollicking start at the opening position make his place so vital for the side. In the ongoing year 2024, his average in T20Is has gone down to 27.67 but, a strike rate of over 152 always makes him a huge member of the side.
Is Fakhar Zaman to potentially miss the Australia series? Report drops bombshell
The sources have claimed that the selection for the Australia tour is now highly unlikely, as he recently failed a fitness test upon his return from the long trip back from the West Indies, where he was given the task of completing a 2 km run in eight minutes and he failed to come up with flying colors.
The sources have spilled the beans that the reason for the struggle is the injured knee. Even though he is fit to play games and has been participating in domestic cricket, additional sarin could lead to a serious injury for him. Aaqib Javed has relaxed the fitness standards for the selection but, the batter’s remarks during the camp around the No Objection Certificate (NOC) won’t be helping him in the cause.
Fakhar Zaman has never played an ODI game in Australia, but against that opponent, the 34-year-old has notched up just 102 runs in four innings at an average of 25.50 and a strike rate of over 100, with just one half-century in the book.
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It will be the first 50-over game for the Pakistan side in this ongoing year, and in 2023, the Mardan-born enjoyed 864 ODI runs in 19 innings at an average of over 50 and a strike rate of 92.90, with the help of two half-centuries and four centuries.
The selection committee is expected to announce the squad on October 20 or 21. But, this knee injury could push the veteran batter not getting a place in the series, which starts at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on November 04. If he gets fit in that duration, then certainly a card will be on the cards for the Zimbabwe and South Africa tour.