Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman finally opened up on his tweet in support of Babar Azam, which even led to his removal from the national team. The left-hander openly regretted the post on X (formerly Twitter) that highlighted his personal opinion.
In his defence, Fakhar Zaman said that he posted his tweet before the team announcement and did not intend to demean the Pakistan Cricket Board's decision. The opener also added that he respects the board's decisions and would not have done so had the batch been announced.
Babar Azam has been going through a difficult run of form in recent months which has led to this incident. During this tough phase, there were calls for him to retire from the national team, which Fakhar didn't like and decided to stand in for the star right-hander.
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Fakhar Zaman breaks his silence on his tweet in support of Babar Azam
Fakhar Zaman recently spoke on this topic through an interview. He claimed that he had not intended to criticize the PCB and that people had completely misunderstood him. Zaman added that he made the tweet after seeing pundits brutally criticizing Babar Azam and demanding his removal from the team.
“It certainly occurred to me that I shouldn't have done it. Basically, there were thoughts in people's minds that I criticized the (PCB) board's decision. But that is completely wrong. I tweeted before the team announcement .I told everyone that the tweet was made before the team announcement,” Zaman said.
“I was looking at the news for the last 2-3 days before the tweet and all the journalists and former players were saying that he (Babar Azam) should be dropped. He has done so much service (for Pakistan cricket) and they were saying he must be dropped. It came to my mind again and again, which led me to make that tweet,” he explained.
Fakhar Zaman regrets tweeting in support of Babar Azam but clarifies he has no intention of criticizing PCB. #CT25 pic.twitter.com/WgKqRRyzR7
— Arfa Feroz Zake (@ArfaSays_) December 23, 2024
“You can't criticize the board's decision until…” – Fakhar Zaman's advice to the youth
Further clarifying the matter, Fakhar Zaman revealed that he had made the tweet before the team announcement and would not have done it afterwards as he himself is a centrally contracted player.
Fakhar even mentioned that he will advise youngsters not to criticize the board's decision until they are active players and claims to have made his thoughts clear to board officials.
“But I tweeted it before the (team) announcement. I wouldn't have done it after the announcement as I am a cricketer and also a central contracted PCB player. I have to play cricket in future too “Zaman. alleged.
“I will tell the juniors of the next generation that you cannot criticize the board's decision until you play even if you have become a big player. So it is totally wrong that I criticized the board's decision,” he claimed.
“I actually told the board officials that the team was announced later and I already tweeted it earlier. If the team had been announced, I wouldn't have done this,” the opener concluded.
Fakhar Zaman escaped after his tweet
After his tweet, Fakhar Zaman was not considered for Pakistan's white-ball tour of Australia. The PCB chief attributed his omission to his pointless tweet criticizing the board and his constant fitness concerns.
Fakhar Zaman is currently playing in the T20 Champions Cup which is a domestic tournament in Pakistan. In his absence, Saim Ayub has done exceptionally well up top for the Men in Green.
Fakhar has been a constant figure in Pakistan's white-ball teams over the years. He has the ability to hit the ball hard on the power play, giving his team a great start. He will find a place in Pakistan's 2025 Champions Trophy squad.