Ahmed Shehzad: “Fakhar Zaman has been moved down in the batting order because he has not performed in the top order in T20s”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan cricketer Ahmed Shehzad believes Fakhar Zaman was demoted down the batting order due to a lack of consistent performances at the top.
Zaman has been a long-serving member of the national side but has struggled with inconsistency at times, leading to him being used in multiple batting positions.
Shehzad feels the 36-year-old was unable to cement his place in the top order as he was not scoring runs regularly enough to secure the role.
“Fakhar Zaman has been moved down in the batting order because he has not performed in the top order in T20s,” he was quoted as saying by journalist Arfa Feroz Zake on X.
Zaman was in superb form in the 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL) as he was the third-highest run-scorer with 401 runs in eight matches for the Lahore Qalandars, which included a century and four fifties, at an average of 57.28 and a strike-rate of 151.89.
Following PSL 11, Pakistan played two Tests against Bangladesh and three ODIs against Australia, but Zaman did not take part in either of those series.
The men in green will return to action soon as they are scheduled to tour the West Indies for two Tests in Trinidad and Tobago from July 25 to August 6.
They will then tour England for three Tests from August 19 to September 13.
Pakistan Squad for West Indies Test Series: Babar Azam (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Awais Zafar, Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah
Pakistan Squad for England Test series: Babar Azam (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Awais Zafar, Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel (subject to fitness), Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah