Interim Pakistan head coach and chief selector Aaqib Javed opened up about Fakhar Zaman’s exclusion from Pakistan squad for the upcoming South Africa series.
Fans were surprised to see Fakhar Zaman’s name was absent from both the white-ball and red-ball squads.
According to Aaqib, Fakhar is lacking both form and match fitness.
While Fakhar’s absence has been a talking point, Javed made it clear that the 33-year-old left-handed opener had not yet regained the required level of fitness following his recent performances.
Fakhar, who has been struggling with consistency, was not considered for selection for the T20I, ODI, and Test squads.
Meanwhile, he also opened up about excluding star off-spinner Sajid Khan.
Javed acknowledged that leaving Sajid out was a difficult decision, but said that the conditions in South Africa, which favor fast bowling, led to the selection of Mohammad Abbas instead. Abbas, a seasoned seam bowler, is expected to thrive in the conditions of Centurion and Cape Town.
The tour will feature three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Test matches, with the first T20I scheduled for December 10 in Durban.
The ODI series will begin on December 17 in Paarl, followed by the Test matches on December 26 in Centurion and January 3 in Cape Town.
