Tag: Fakhar Zaman

  • Who tweeted in Babar’s support from Fakhar’s account?

    Who tweeted in Babar’s support from Fakhar’s account?

    Pakistan batsman Fakhar Zaman recently tweeted in favour of Babar Azam, leading him to be dropped from the central contract. But did Fakhar tweet himself, or was someone else behind it?

    Now, national right-handed batsman Ahmed Shehzad has raised his concerns about this issue. In his vlog on YouTube, he said, “Fakhar Zaman’s tweet has cost him dearly. It’s like his wings have been clipped, and I think the Cricket Board’s decision is the right one. The situation is that Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, and Rizwan are all under the same agent (Saya Corporation). That agent got Fakhar Zaman to tweet, which has now led to him being dropped from the team and losing his central contract. Now, it raises the question: will that agent also get the other players to tweet on Fakhar’s behalf?”

    “It seems like Fakhar Zaman may be regretting his actions now, as they have backfired on him. His people have used him. Fakhar might realize what happened to him a bit later, but in essence, he’s been used by his own people. No centrally contracted player would ever tweet like Fakhar Zaman did on someone else’s behalf, he added.

    Talking about PCB’s decision to drop Fakahr from the central contract, he said, “I think PCB’s decision is spot on. It sends a strong message not only to the player involved but to all other players that PCB makes the decisions and that their role as players is to perform, focus on improving team rankings, and fulfil their roles as best they can. It’s a wake-up call to focus on the field, especially considering the recent decline in Pakistan’s performance across formats.”

    Babar Azam was dropped from the last two Test matches of the recent series against England, after which Fakhar tweeted in his favour.

    But PCB issued a show-cause notice, and later, he was dropped from the central contract 2024-25.

  • Mohsin Naqvi reveals why Fakhar Zaman dropped from central contract

    Mohsin Naqvi reveals why Fakhar Zaman dropped from central contract

    Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi has explained the reason behind sacking Fakhar Zaman from the central contract.

    Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, October 27, Naqvi said, “Any national team player cannot go around tweeting his opinion on decisions made by the selection committee.”

    Fakhar Zaman had tweeted in support of Babar Azam before the second Test match against England, after Babar was dropped from the side due to poor form. Fakhar wroite, “Dropping Babar would send a negative message to the Test team.” In his tweet, Fakhar also mentioned Virat Kohli, comparing the struggles of both players.

    Muhammad Rizwan appointed captain:

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made wicketkeeper batsman Muhammad Rizwan the captain of ODI and T20 teams.

    Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi announced the captain and vice-captain of the ODI and T20 teams while holding a press conference in Lahore.

    Mohsin Naqvi said, “The board has made Mohammad Rizwan the captain of the ODI and T20 team, while Salman Ali Agha has been appointed as the vice-captain of the ODI and T20 team.”

    Chairman PCB said, “The selection committee worked very hard on the central contract, the selection committee worked non-stop in the last two tests, and the selection committee had a big hand in the victory. I will praise them.”

    Mohsin Naqvi said, “We want Babar Azam to return to form. Babar Azam is an asset of Pakistan. Babar contacted me and said that he doesn’t want to play as a captain. Babar Azam had a decision; he wanted to focus on the game.”

    Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the squad for the tours of Australia and Zimbabwe. The Pakistan team will play three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and three T20 Internationals (T20Is) in Australia, while the tour of Zimbabwe will also feature three ODIs and three T20Is.

    According to a statement by the PCB, Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen Afridi will be rested for the tour of Zimbabwe, while PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi will announce the captain for the white-ball teams.

    Performers from domestic cricket have been given more importance for the Zimbabwe tour.

    For the Australia tour, the ODI squad includes Babar Azam, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Additionally, Aamir Jamal, Arafat Minhas, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, and Mohammad Hasnain are part of the team. Haseebullah, Mohammad Irfan Khan, and Naseem Shah.

    The T20 squad includes Babar Azam, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, and Jehandad Khan. Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Umair bin Yousaf, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saim Ayub, Sufiyan Muqeem and Usman Khan.

  • Fakhar Zaman responds to PCB’s Show-cause notice

    Fakhar Zaman responds to PCB’s Show-cause notice

    National cricket team’s batsman Fakhar Zaman has responded to the show-cause notice issued by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for supporting former captain Babar Azam.

    Babar Azam was dropped from the Pakistan team against England, after which opener Fakhar Zaman posted a post in support of him, saying that Babar deserved better treatment.

    He had given an example and said that India’s star batsman Virat Kohli also had a bad time, and despite three years of poor form, he was not benched, but throwing out the country’s best batsman will send a negative message to the team.

    After his post, PCB took action and issued a show-cause notice to Fakhar Zaman, seeking his reply. The batsman has sent his reply to the PCB.

    According to reports, he said, ‘I am under the PCB, and I must accept the decisions; writing about Babar Azam was not meant to criticize or hurt anyone. PCB’s central contract is of the opinion; I spoke as a fellow player; my only aim was for Babar Azam to have a chance in difficult times. PCB is our institution; we will continue to respect it.’

    After seeing Fakhar Zaman’s response, the board will decide on his inclusion in the team for the tour of Australia.

    The Pakistan team for the tour of Australia is likely to be announced on Monday; the Pakistan team is scheduled to participate in the ODI and T20I series next month in the land of kangaroos.

  • Fakhar Zaman likely to be dropped for Australia tour

    Fakhar Zaman likely to be dropped for Australia tour

    Pakistan left-handed opener batsman Fakhar Zaman is likely to be dropped from the squad for the Australia tour.

    According to Express, Fakhar’s selection in the squad seems unlikely as he has failed the fitness test. After returning from a long trip to the West Indies, he was given the task of running two kilometres in eight minutes, which he failed to complete.

    Zaman reportedly suffers from a problem with his knees; he is playing domestic cricket to be fit, while the selection committee has decided not to compromise on fitness.

    Earlier, he tweeted in favour of Babar Azam before the squad announcement against England for the second Test, but after some time, the announcement of dropping the star batsman came out. It seemed like Fakhr criticized the decision. Later, PCB issued a show-cause notice to him.

    Some former cricketers had also suggested that Fakhr be given leadership in the white ball.

    Till Thursday night, Salman Ali Agha was the favourite to take over the White Ball captaincy, but now again, Muhammad Rizwan seems to be leading the race.

  • Fakhar Zaman under PCB’s line of fire for supporting Babar Azam

    Fakhar Zaman under PCB’s line of fire for supporting Babar Azam

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has taken strict action against batsman Fakhar Zaman after Zaman publicly supported Babar Azam in a tweet on X.

    According to Geo, PCB has issued a show cause notice to Fakhar Zaman and asked for a reply within a week. Geo sources say that the notice was issued to Fakhar due his public criticism of the selection policy, stating that the tweet was a violation of discipline.

    Yesterday, the PCB selection committee announced the squad for the second and third Tests against England. PCB did not include Babar Azam in the team to ‘give him rest’, while Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi were also dropped.

    After this, Fakhar Zaman shared a Tweet on X (Formerly Twitter) saying 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.

    ‘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,’ he added.

    Former England captain Michael Vaughan also criticised the PCB for dropping Babar from the squad against England.

    Michael tweeted on X (previously Twitter): “So Pakistan hasn’t won in a while; go one nil down in the series and decide to drop the best player. I guess Pakistan cricket is full of surprises, but this tops the lot. It is an absolutely stupid decision unless he has asked for a break.”

    Azhar Mehmood’s statement on dropping Babar Azam:

    Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mehmood says that we have to take 20 wickets; if we go with spin, then we can get England out. We had a clear plan regarding the pitch; Babar Azam has not been given a drop, and he has been rested due to his workload.

    Pakistan has announced the squad for the upcoming second Test match against England in Multan.

    Kamran Ghulam, Zahid Mehmood, Nauman Ali, and Sajid Khan are on the team.

    Here are the playing XI for both teams.

    Pakistan playing XI:
    Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (Captain), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Muhammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Zahid Mehmood, Sajid Khan, Nauman Ali.

    England playing XI:
    Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jamie Smith (wk), Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir

    Pakistan will play their second Test match against England on October 15 at Multan Cricket Stadium.

  • Fakhar Zaman will be part of Lahore Qalandars for PSL 9

    Fakhar Zaman will be part of Lahore Qalandars for PSL 9

    Pakistani cricketer Fakhar Zaman will be part of Lahore Qalandars for Pakistan Super League (PSL) season nine.

    Lahore Qalandars chief executive officer (CEO) Atif Rana, while talking to Geo News, said, “Fakhar Zaman became the pride of Pakistan from Lahore Qalandars, and how can it be that he is not a part of the Qalandars family? He will play for Lahore Qalandars.”

    Stressing that he’s excited about the PSL draft, Rana said player development works all year long and now it’s time to announce the names of players for the player development program. “We have good options, two-time champions Lahore Qalandars will give a tough time this time too.”

    Observing that some of the big names have not played in PSL before, Rana said the famous cricketers who joined were at the end of their careers, including AB de Villiers, Brendon McCullum, and Chris Gayle.

    According to CEO Lahore Qalandars, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Fakhar Zaman, Muhammad Rizwan, and Babar Azam are the big names of the world who are in action in PSL.

  • Fakhar scores fastest century for Pakistan in the World Cup

    Fakhar scores fastest century for Pakistan in the World Cup

    Fakhar Zaman has scored Pakistan’s fastest century in the World Cup in the crucial match against New Zealand on Saturday. The all-important match is being played in Bengaluru in the Indian state of Karnataka.

    Chasing New Zealand’s mammoth total of 401, Pakistan lost its first wicket at 11 runs when Abdullah Shafique returned to the pavilion after scoring only four runs.

    Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman then took over the crease. Zaman scored his 11th century with the help of 9 sixes and 6 fours off 63 balls, the fastest century by Pakistan in the World Cup.

  • World Cup not over for Pakistan, says skipper Babar Azam

    World Cup not over for Pakistan, says skipper Babar Azam

    Pakistan captain Babar Azam said Tuesday that he still clings onto hope that his team can squeeze into the World Cup semi-finals despite the odds stacked against them.

    “Yes. We are trying to win our next two matches and let’s see where we stand,” said Azam after a seven-wicket romp over Bangladesh gave them a third win in seven matches.

    “We will take a lot of confidence into those matches.”

    Pakistan have six points and sit in fifth place in the 10-nation table.

    Australia, in fourth place, have eight points and a game in hand while third-placed New Zealand are third, also on eight points, having also played one game fewer.

    Pakistan face the Kiwis on Saturday in Bengaluru before finishing their group campaign against defending champions England in Kolkata on November 11.

    As well as two wins, the 1992 champions will need other results go their way if they are to stay in the tournament.

    On Tuesday, Shaheen Shah Afridi grabbed three wickets while openers Fakhar Zaman and Abdullah Shafique made 81 and 68 respectively as Pakistan chased down a 205-run target for the loss of three wickets with 105 balls to spare.

    “We know when Fakhar plays the way he can for 20-30 overs it is a different ball game. So we let him play his natural game and it is good to see,” said Azam of Zaman, the only Pakistan batsman to have scored a double century in one-day international cricket.

    Azam added: “We started well. Shaheen took early wickets. The main thing is we stuck to our length in the middle overs and we took wickets.”

    Fakhar, a 33-year-old left-hander, was playing only his second match of the tournament after being sidelined with a knee injury.

    “We were anxiously waiting for this win,” said Zaman.

    “Every win in the World Cup boosts the confidence and our aim is to win the remaining two matches. Our target is semi-final.”

    Zaman admitted the defeat to India earlier in the tournament had been a bodyblow but the team had gained new confidence by pushing South Africa all the way.

    Pakistan fought hard against the Proteas only to lose by a narrow one-wicket margin in Chennai on Friday.

    “That loss to India made the difference, every match against India does but we fought well in the South Africa match and that fight gave us much-needed rhythm,” said Zaman.

    Zaman also said the impact of his injury was not as severe as first feared.

    “I was batting well in the nets and had the team needed me before I would have played but my aim is to always score runs that help the team win.”

    Bounce Back

    Bangladesh became the first team to be eliminated after six losses in seven games.

    “At this moment we have to perform together in all three departments. It’s not any individual that can win us games,” said captain Shakib Al Hasan.

    His team still have two games to play in the round-robin stage against Sri Lanka in New Delhi on November 6 and against Australia in Pune five days later.

    “We need collective performances. Two more matches hopefully we can bounce back,” said Shakib, playing in his fourth World Cup.

    “The fans supported us and are behind us whether we are doing well or not. We have to give something back to them so they can smile.”

  • World Cup 2023: Pakistan defeats Bangladesh by seven wickets, semi-final hopes still alive

    World Cup 2023: Pakistan defeats Bangladesh by seven wickets, semi-final hopes still alive

    In the 31st match of the ICC ODI World Cup, Pakistan defeated Bangladesh easily by seven wickets and entered the race to reach the semi-finals.

    In the match played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and decided to bat first. Opener Tanzid Hasan was promptly dismissed by Shaheen Afraid for zero in the first over, later Najamul Hussain Shanto was also dismissed by Shaheen after scoring only four runs.

    Haris Rauf sent Mushfiqur Rahim back to the pavilion, while Iftikhar Ahmed guided Latin Das to the pavilion after he scored 45 runs. Mahmudullah, who scored 56 runs for Bangladesh, was also dismissed by Shaheen. Captain Shakib Al Hasan scored 43, Tawheed seven, Mehidi Hasan 25, Taskin Ahmed six, and Mustafizur Rahman three. The entire Bangladesh team was bowled out for 204 runs in 45.1 overs.

    On behalf of Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Wasim took three wickets each, while Haris Rauf took two wickets, and Iftikhar Ahmed and Usama Mir took one wicket each.

    Chasing Bangladesh’s target of 205 runs, Pakistan got off to a good start, with openers Abdullah Shafiq and Fakhar Zaman putting on a brilliant 128-run partnership. However, Abdullah then got out after scoring 68 runs off 69 balls. Fakhar Zaman got out with after putting up a brilliant 81 runs off 74 balls, his innings included 7 sixes and 3 fours.

    Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed remained unbeaten by scoring 26 runs and 17 runs on behalf of Pakistan, the green shirts easily achieving the required target in 32.3 overs.

    Bangladesh’s Mehdi Hasan dismissed three players. Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman was named player of the match for his brilliant batting.

    Cricket World Cup standings after Tuesday’s match (played, won, lost, tied, no result, points, net run rate):

    India 6 6 0 0 0 12 1.405

    South Africa 6 5 1 0 0 10 2.032

    New Zealand 6 4 2 0 0 8 1.232

    Australia 6 4 2 0 0 8 0.970

    Pakistan 7 3 4 0 0 6 -0.024

    Afghanistan 6 3 3 0 0 6 -0.718

    Sri Lanka 6 2 4 0 0 4 -0.275

    Netherlands 6 2 4 0 0 4 -1.277

    Bangladesh 7 1 6 0 0 2 -1.446

    England 6 1 5 0 0 2 -1.652

    Note: Top four teams qualify for the semi-finals

  • Babar Azam and co ready to dominate in LPL: auction data released

    Babar Azam and co ready to dominate in LPL: auction data released

    The player auction phase for the fourth edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) has concluded, revealing an exciting roster of Pakistani cricketers who will grace the event from July 31 to August 22.

    Thirteen Pakistani players will be in action, with three signing pre-auction agreements and ten securing their spots through the auction process. The B Love Kandy team made noteworthy acquisitions, securing Muhammad Hasnain for $34,000, Asif Ali for $30,000, Muhammad Haris for $20,000, and Amir Jamal for $10,000.

    Fakhar Zaman, a prominent Pakistani national player, inked a pre-auction agreement with the B Love Kandy team. Shoaib Malik and Zaman Khan were selected by the Jaffa Kings, with Malik fetching $50,000 and Khan earning $30,000.

    The Dambulla Ora team acquired Shahnawaz Dahani for $20,000, adding a talented asset to their lineup. Moving to the Colombo Strikers, they secured Iftikhar Ahmed for $50,000, Wahab Riaz for $40,000, and Mohammad Nawaz for $30,000. Additionally, captain Babar Azam and fast bowler Naseem Shah signed pre-auction contracts with the Colombo Strikers.

    Unfortunately, some players did not find buyers in the auction. Imad Wasim, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Haider Ali, Umar Akmal and Sharjeel Khan were unable to secure contracts.

    The stage is set for an exhilarating LPL season, with these Pakistani players ready to showcase their talent and make an impact in the tournament.