• Pakistan’s interim white-ball head coach Aaqib Javed discusses Fakhar Zaman’s return to the national team.
• Fakhar Zaman, Pakistan’s top-order batter, was excluded from central contracts for the 2024-25 season and squads for recent tours to Australia and Zimbabwe.
• Zaman recently expressed disappointment over the selection committee’s decision to drop Babar Azam after the first Test against England.

Aaqib Javed, Pakistan’s interim white-ball head coach, shed light on the possible return of top-order batter Fakhar Zaman during a media briefing in Lahore on Wednesday.

Fakhar was notably left out of the central contracts for the 2024-25 season and excluded from the squads for recent tours to Australia and Zimbabwe. Despite this, Aaqib expressed admiration for Fakhar, describing him as a “match-winner” and emphasizing his importance to the team.

“Fakhar Zaman is a match-winner. He has been facing some fitness issues, but the selection committee will reconsider him once he regains fitness,” Aaqib stated.

Fakhar recently made headlines for expressing disappointment over the selection committee’s decision to drop Babar Azam after the first Test against England, which led to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issuing him a show-cause notice for breaching the Code of Conduct.

Addressing his interim coaching role, Aaqib said his priority is to advance Pakistan cricket by utilizing his extensive coaching experience spanning over two decades.

“PCB has entrusted me with additional responsibilities, and I will fulfil them to the best of my abilities,” he added. “I have been coaching for over 22 years and will use my experience with the team.”

“As a coach, I am not focusing on individual players but on improving Pakistan cricket as a whole.” “There’s still over a year left for the next T20 World Cup, so a lot of changes will be seen,” Aaqib Javed stated.

“However, as of now, we are focusing more on ODI matches and the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.””

Aaqib also highlighted plans for significant changes in the T20I squad to prepare for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. He stressed the importance of providing opportunities to emerging players, citing the recently selected squad for the Zimbabwe tour as an example.

“The next T20 World Cup is over a year away, so you’ll see a lot of changes. However, our immediate focus is on ODI matches and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025,” Aaqib concluded.

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