"You cannot go around commenting on the selection committee" - PCB chairman says Fakhar Zaman was removed from contract over tweets & fitness concerns
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi said on Sunday (October 27) that senior batter Fakhar Zaman's social media comments on the selection committee's choices had played a role in his removal from Pakistan men's central contracts. He also cited fitness issues as the bigger factor in the board's decision.
The PCB announced a new list of central contracts earlier in the day and Zaman, who criticized the committee's decision to drop Babar Azam from the Test squad midway through the England series, was no longer part of Category 'B'. This was the first time in eight years the left-hander has missed out on a central contract.
"Tweet was one issue, but the bigger matter was that of fitness," Naqvi said in a press conference on Sunday. "There is a show-cause notice pending against him, and we will see about that. He would need to prove his fitness, his point of view was valued in the Connection Camp and I am very thankful to him for that but you cannot go around commenting on the selection committee over selection calls."
The press conference was arranged for Naqvi to kick off Mohammad Rizwan's captaincy tenure, with the wicketkeeper-batter replacing Babar Azam at the helm.
Full list of Pakistan's centrally contracted players after Fakhar Zaman's removal
Zaman's removal wasn't the only major change in the contracts. Senior pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi was demoted from Category 'A' to 'B', leaving only Babar and Rizwan in the top-most tier for the coming year.
Category A: Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan
Category B: Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shan Masood
Category C: Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel and Shadab Khan
Category D: Aamir Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Hurraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr and Usman Khan