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Why Did PCB Exclude Fakhar Zaman And Shadab Khan From Pakistan's Squad For Australia Series?

Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan [Source: @abubakartarar_, @fakhar3939/X]Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan [Source: @abubakartarar_, @fakhar3939/X]

In a significant development, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a formidable men's squad for the upcoming white-ball series against Australia. The Men in Green will face Australia in six white-ball matches, including three ODIs and T20Is. Although Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah were included in both squads, experienced players Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan missed out on selection. 

Why Did PCB Exclude Fakhar Zaman?

Recently, Fakhar Zaman questioned Pakistan's selection committee for dropping Babar Azam from the Test side. The talismanic batter was left out of the hosts' Test squad for the final two matches of the recently held England series. Following his tweet in support of the former captain, the PCB issued him a show cause notice, demanding an explanation from the opener. 

However, it has come to notice that the incident is not related to Fakhar's exclusion from the Australia series. In fact, according a to a report from Cricket Pakistan, Fakhar has some fitness concerns, and he was expected to miss this series. 

Shadab Khan Sidelined Due To Poor Form

Meanwhile, the same can't be said about Shadab Khan, who has apparently lost his place in Pakistan's white-ball squad owing to poor recent form. Since 2023, the leg-spinner has managed only 15 wickets in 17 ODI appearances. His batting performance was even worse last year, as he amassed only 259 runs in 13 innings at a modest average of 21.58. 

Shadab has also had a forgettable time in T20Is, scalping three wickets in 12 matches this year. The all-rounder has failed miserably with the bat as well, scoring 110 runs at an average of 13.75 in the shortest format. He even looked under-confident with bat and ball in the recently concluded Champions Cup tournament. 

Therefore, unless he improves his numbers in the domestic white-ball competitions, the chance of Shadab's white-ball comeback seems bleak at the moment.