Mumbai, October 22: Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman is likely to escape with a reprimand for criticising the PCB ahead of the squad announcement, where it planned to drop former skipper Babar Azam for two Tests against England. Azam, along with several senior players, got eventually dropped for two Test days after Fakhar expressed his displeasure on social media. Fakhar was issued a show-cause notice by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after he tweeted his views where he compared Azam's run drought with India's Virat Kohli, who went through a lean patch between 2020 and late 2022. Fakhar Zaman Trolled By Fans for Comparing Babar Azam With Virat Kohli After Pakistan Star Batter’s Exclusion From Remaining Tests vs England.

England are touring Pakistan for three Tests, with the hosts levelling the series in the second Test after the side, led by Ben Stokes, won the opener in Multan.

Babar, along with Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Sarfaraz Ahmed were eventually dropped.

Fakhar Zaman's Post

Fakhar was sent a show-cause notice and asked why disciplinary action should not be taken against him as he had clearly breached a clause of his central contract by criticising the PCB and its selection policy. A source in the board said that Fakhar had sent in his reply before the October 21 deadline and explained he had only spoken in favour of a teammate and colleague and he had no intention of challenging the authority of the PCB. Pakistan Cricket Board Announces Free Entry For Fans at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Day 1 of PAK vs ENG 3rd Test 2024.

"Fakhar has said that he has utmost respect for the PCB as it is his institution which employs him and runs the sport in Pakistan," the source added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)