Aaqib Javed: “You’ll see Fakhar soon”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Aaqib Javed, the Pakistan limited overs head coach and interim red-ball coach, has hinted that big-hitting batsman Fakhar Zaman’s return to the national team is imminent.
Zaman was not selected for the limited overs series against Australia and Zimbabwe, and failed to make the cut for the ongoing tour of South Africa as well.
Many believe this stemmed from his criticism over the decision to drop star batsman Babar Azam during the three-Test series against England in October 2024.
In addition to not being selected, Zaman also wasn’t given a central contract for the 2024/25 season.
However, Aaqib made it clear that the 34-year-old is trying to overcome fitness issues and as soon as he does, he will likely be picked again.
“You’ll see Fakhar soon,” he was quoted as saying by Grassroots Cricket on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Pakistan’s tour of South Africa has yielded mixed results so far as they lost the three-match T20I series 2-0, while they hold a 1-0 lead in the ODI series going into the 2nd ODI on December 19 in Cape Town.
Once the three ODIs have been played, Pakistan and South Africa will face each other in two Tests, with the first match beginning on December 26 in Centurion.
Pakistan Squad for South Africa T20I Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa ODI Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha