NEW DELHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has come under fire from fans following the omission of star opener Fakhar Zaman from the 2024-25 list of centrally contracted players.
Zaman, a key player in Pakistan’s white-ball setup, was notably left out despite regularly featuring in ODIs and T20Is for the national team.
The PCB released its new central contract structure, dividing 25 players into four categories: A, B, C, and D. Among the high-profile changes, former captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan retained their top-tier contracts, while Shaheen Afridi was demoted to Category B.
However, the absence of Zaman has sparked outrage across social media, with many calling the decision “unfair”.
Cricket fans and experts were quick to react to Zaman’s omission, with one fan writing on X (formerly Twitter), “Fakhar Zaman not in the central contract must be a typing error. It can’t be true.”
Another fan criticized the PCB’s handling of the situation, saying, “Punishing a player just because he has different opinions from you? Don’t forget he has single-handedly won matches for us.”
Zaman’s omission is being linked to his recent public criticism of the PCB’s decision to drop Babar Azam from the Test squad for the remaining two matches against England.
After the first Test defeat, Zaman took to X to express his frustration, comparing Babar’s situation to that of Virat Kohli, who was backed by India during a lean patch.
Following this post, the PCB issued Zaman a show-cause notice, which insiders believe played a role in his exclusion from the contract list.
While the PCB did not officially comment on Zaman’s omission, the lack of transparency has only added to the backlash.