Fakhar Zaman reprimanded by Pakistan board for tweet backing Babar Azam and India's stance on Virat Kohli

Pakistan batter Fakhar Zaman found himself embroiled in controversy after speaking out in support of Babar Azam and openly criticizing the decision of the Pakistan selectors to 'rest' him from the remaining Tests against England. Along with Babar, pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah were also omitted from Pakistan's squad for the second Test against England, starting on Tuesday. The trio had been struggling in red-ball cricket, prompting the selectors to make a bold decision following Pakistan's loss in the first Test despite posting a massive 556 runs in the first innings.

Although Pakistan assistant coach Azhar Mahmood clarified that Babar and Shaheen were not dropped but rested, questions remained, and he also added that Babar was keen on playing.

Fakhar Zaman, a regular in Pakistan's white-ball sides, openly criticised the sectors' decision. He also mentioned India's backing for Virat Kohli when he was out of form between 2020 and 2022.

“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," Fakhar wrote on X.

The tweet did not go down well with the Pakistan Cricket Board as it issued a show cause notice to the left-handed top-order batter, who is a centrally contracted player, for an alleged breach of the players' code of conduct.

Fakhar has been asked to submit his reply to the show cause notice by October 21 after the PCB informed him in a notice that he had committed a breach of his contract by criticising the board policies and selection.

Pakistan have opted for an all-out spin attack by recalling Noman Ali, Sajid Khan and Zahid Mahmood. Aamer Jamal is the solitary fast-bowling option.

Left-arm spinner Noman hasn't featured in a test for more than a year, off-spinner Sajid played his last test against Australia earlier this year while leg-spinner Zahid is back for the first time since taking on England in Multan in 2022. Kamran Ghulam will make his debut and replace Babar at No. 4 in the batting order.

Pakistan will re-use the same first-test strip in the hope its spinners can take 20 wickets. The team has taken 20 wickets just once in its last six tests, losing all of them under the captaincy of Shan Masood. Babar has failed to score a half-century in his last 18 test innings, with a highest score of 41 against Australia in Melbourne last year.