Fakhar Zaman breaks silence on tweet supporting Babar Azam

Pakistan cricketer Fakhar Zaman has addressed the controversy surrounding his October social media post supporting Babar Azam, clarifying that his comments were misunderstood and not intended as criticism of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

During Pakistan's home Test series against England, Fakhar took to his official X (formerly Twitter) account to express disappointment over Babar's exclusion from the last two matches. The exclusion followed a series of poor performances by Babar, leading to his omission from the playing XI.

In response to Fakhar's post, the PCB issued a show-cause notice, removed him from the central contracts list, and excluded him from tours to Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.

While the PCB cited fitness issues for these decisions, speculation arose that his support for Babar was the real reason behind his exclusion.

In a recent interview with a private media outlet, Fakhar clarified his stance, stating that his post was aimed at journalists and former players who had called for Babar’s removal from the team. “I saw news where journalists and ex-players suggested dropping Babar, and it bothered me. I felt compelled to voice my support,” Fakhar explained.

He also emphasized that his post was published before the official team announcement and that he would not have made such comments afterward, in deference to his role as a contracted player. “People misunderstood that I criticized the board’s decision, which is 100% wrong,” Fakhar stated.

Addressing concerns about his fitness, Fakhar revealed that he had requested a two-month rest from the PCB due to health issues, later discovering he was suffering from hyperthyroidism. “I didn’t know about my illness when the team left for Australia,” he said.

Fakhar's clarification seeks to put to rest the controversy surrounding his post and his subsequent exclusion from international tours.