'PCB Not Happy': Top Pakistan Cricketer Leaves Board Angry After Controversial 'India Didn't Bench Virat Kohli' Post on Social Media

Pakistan cricket team has been hit by another controversy after a post from their top star has irked the national cricket board. Reacting to reports of star cricketer Babar Azam being dropped from Test team, Fakhar Zaman, in a social media post on Sunday, had cautioned the selectors against making any such decisions while drawing comparisons with India superstar Virat Kohli.

The post hasn’t gone down well with top PCB officials as per a report by news agency PTI and Zaman has been spoken to by “relevant persons”.

“The top board officials are not pleased with the tweet sent out by Fakhar and relevant persons are having a word with him about it,” a well-informed PCB source was quoted as saying by PTI.

Zaman, a teammate of Babar, had said he’s concerned by reports of Babar being dropped and cited how BCCI didn’t bench Kohli despite his low returns between 2020 and 2023.

“It’s concerning to hear suggestions about dropping Babar Azam. India didn’t bench Virat Kohli during his rough stretch between 2020 and 2023, when he averaged 19.33, 28.21, and 26.50, respectively,” Zaman said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

“If we are considering sidelining our premier batsman, arguably the best Pakistan has ever produced, it could send a deeply negative message across the team. There is still time to avoid pressing the panic button; we should focus on safeguarding our key players rather than undermining them,” Zaman added.

Pakistan on Sunday dropped four players for the remainder of their ongoing Test series against England following an innings defeat in the first match recently.  Along with Babar, PCB also dropped Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Sarfaraz Khan

Aqib Javed, a Pakistan selector, explained the reason behind the decision in a statement. “We’ve had to carefully consider current player form, the urgency to bounce back in the series and Pakistan’s demanding 2024-25 international schedule,” Aaqib said.

“With these factors in mind and in the best interest of Pakistan cricket as well as the players, we’ve made the decision to rest Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah Afridi,” he added.