Pakistani Star Addresses Backlash Over Kohli-Babar Comments

Fakhar Zaman, the Pakistan cricketer, responded to the controversy surrounding his social media post. The post involved Virat Kohli and Babar Azam, which caused backlash. Fakhar expressed support for Babar after the former Pakistan captain got dropped during the home Test series against England. He also mentioned Kohli in the post. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reportedly disagreed with his comments. This led to Fakhar’s exclusion from the central contracts list. In an interview with PAK TV, Fakhar clarified that he was not criticizing the PCB. He was merely expressing his personal opinion.

Fakhar Zaman Clarifies Controversial Social Media Post

“I realized later that tweeting wasn’t the right decision, but my intentions were misunderstood,” Fakhar said during the interview. “People believed I was criticizing the board’s decision, which is completely untrue. If you look at the timing, my tweet came before the board announced its decision. For a couple of days, I saw journalists and former players criticizing Babar Azam in the media. Given everything he has done for the team, I felt it was unfair that people wanted him dropped.”

He added, “At the time, I was just sharing my opinion, but I now understand that no player is bigger than the board. I encourage younger cricketers to respect this, no matter how successful they become. Criticizing the board while playing is not appropriate. To clarify, my tweet was made prior to the team announcement.”

Fakhar Zaman’s exclusion from the PCB central contracts list was not solely due to his controversial social media post, as clarified by PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi. While the tweet drew attention, Naqvi emphasized that the primary reasons for the decision were Fakhar’s recent dip in performances and concerns about his fitness levels.

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Naqvi noted that Fakhar’s fitness had become a significant issue, with a show-cause notice still pending against him. He acknowledged Fakhar’s contributions during the Connection Camp and expressed gratitude for his input but stressed the importance of maintaining fitness standards for national players. “Fitness is crucial, and he will need to prove himself in this regard,” Naqvi said.

Additionally, Naqvi pointed out that players must avoid making public remarks about selection decisions. He reiterated that while Fakhar’s opinion was valued, comments about the selection committee were inappropriate. He added that the final decision primarily considered Fakhar’s performance and fitness concerns.

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