Pakistani opener Fakhar Zaman, who steered the team to a decisive win over India with his outstanding 114-run innings in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, is gearing up for a full comeback in the 2025 edition of the tournament.

 

As per the details, Fakhar, who was dropped from the national squad last year, allegedly for his criticism of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and officially for being “unfit”, is hoping to make a comeback on home ground during Champions Trophy 2025.

 

“I am 100 per cent optimistic about playing the Champions Trophy and am preparing for the tournament in full swing. Currently, my focus is on the Champions Trophy and that is why I did not play in Australia and South Africa. My only focus is making myself available for the tournament and being fully fit for it,” he said during the Viper Voices Podcast.

 

Fakhar said he was not part of the team after the T20 World Cup due to illness and fitness issues, but now he was 100 per cent recovered. “I spoke to the selectors and head coach, and everyone wanted me to play Champions Trophy… you will see me in Pakistan's upcoming white-ball series as well.”

 

Talking about Saim Ayub, Fakhar praised the 22-year-old opener and said he had kicked off his ODI career in a great way with three centuries and one fifty in just nine innings, including those against Australia and South Africa.

 

On the young opener’s recent injury against South Africa, the veteran batter hoped he would recover soon. “He is such a great batsman… if he continues to play for the next four or five years, he will be among the top three in the world. Pakistan has three of the best players in the world… Babar Azam, Muhammad Rizwan and Saim Ayub… and I consider myself fortunate for being in the same team as them.”

 

It merits mention that Fakhar has not played international cricket since the T20 World Cup in June 2024. He played his last ODI during the 2023 World Cup.

 

Despite his performance over the years, Fakhar was declared unfit and dropped from the national squad. Reports, however, claimed he was excluded from PCB’s central contract 2024-25 for going against the board’s wishes to tweet in favour of struggling Babar Azam.

 

Fakhar’s tweet in favour of Babar Azam:

National cricketer Fakhar Zaman had severely criticized Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision to drop former captain Babar Azam in the second and third Test matches against England.

 

Fakhar wrote on X sitting Indian star cricketer Virat Kohli, “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.”

 

“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,” he wrote.

 

The Pakistan squad for the second and third Tests against England was announced on Sunday, while Babar Azam, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi have been dropped from the team.

 

PCB’s show-cause notice to the Fakhar:

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had taken strict action against batsman Fakhar Zaman after Zaman publicly supported Babar Azam in a tweet on X.

 

According to Geo, PCB has issued a show cause notice to Fakhar Zaman and asked for a reply within a week. Geo sources say that the notice was issued to Fakhar due his public criticism of the selection policy, stating that the tweet was a violation of discipline.

 

Fakhar Zaman dropped from central contract 2024-25:

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently announced the central contracts for the 2024-25 season, and unfortunately, Fakhar Zaman was dropped from the list.

 

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi has explained the reason behind sacking Fakhar Zaman from the central contract.

 

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, October 27, Naqvi said, “Any national team player cannot go around tweeting his opinion on decisions made by the selection committee.”