Pakistan’s top batsman Ahmed Shehzad has expressed concern over the exclusion of key players from the national team for the upcoming South Africa series.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Shehzad criticized the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for its selection decisions, particularly the omission of spinner Sajid Khan, batsman Fakhar Zaman and fast bowler Shaheen Afridi from the squad.
He expressed frustration over Sajid Khan’s absence from the team, especially after his excellent performance in the Test series against England where he took 19 wickets in just two matches.
“You took Sajid Khan out of the South Africa series; are you blind or crazy? Do you think you are the only ones who will play in South Africa, where the whole world doesn’t play? And there, you are taking only Noman Ali,” Shehzad said.
“You should be grateful to Sajid because in the crisis that Pakistan cricket has been stuck in for the last three and a half years – where it has hit rock bottom and people have started laughing at your cricket – he has won matches for you (referring to to the England Series). And that’s how you rewarded him? Just as he was becoming a superstar, you discarded him like a milk fly,” he added.
The 33-year-old also defended Fakhar Zaman, who faced criticism and exclusion following his tweet supporting Babar’s omission from the squad during the English series.
He accused the PCB of being overly harsh on Fakhar.
“You brought down Fakhar Zaman again. Listen to me, we even support the PCB in this matter, agreeing that as a centrally contracted player, Fakhar should not have done certain things. But look what you did – you punished him so harshly, like if the previous punishment wasn’t enough. What’s next? The Champions Trophy is coming, and his ace in ODIs has sidelined him,” he said.
“What fitness are you talking about? Did Noman or other players pass the fitness tests? You are lying and misleading the public. You were extremely unfair to Fakhar. Dropping him again is not only an injustice to him, but also for the nation and the team. He is the only player who can give you a chance in ODIs. If you don’t play him now, when will you?
“It appears that the PCB is relieving their frustration or the selection committee is just acting like a puppet like those who preceded them. If they continue to work like this, then you might as well let them go, just like you did with other employees,” he added.
The right-handed batsman also commented on the decision to exclude Shaheen Afridi from the Test squad to manage his workload, replacing him with Mohammad Abbas, who is expected to return after three years.
“So, you ditched Shaheen, brought in your own group, and what did you achieve by ditching Shaheen? Managing the workload, right? A great job of managing the workload – you made Haris Rauf play every match. Who is are you misleading? Are you just misleading the public in the name of workload management,” Ahmed said.
“You have formed your own little group and are helping all your favorite players. Is this your vision – to bring in such incompetent people, hand them all the responsibility of Pakistan cricket and let them ruin it before leaving?” he concluded.
Earlier, in a statement released by the PCB, Pakistan’s interim coach and member of the selection committee Aaqib Javed revealed the reasons for excluding Fakhar, Sajid and Shaheen from the national team for the mentioned series.
“Leaving Sajid Khan out, despite his stellar performances against England, was an extremely difficult decision. However, considering the pace-friendly conditions in Centurion and Cape Town, we opted for Mohammad Abbas, who is a notable exponent of seam bowling,” Javed said in a statement released by the PCB.
“The exclusion of Shaheen Shah Afridi from the Test squad is a strategic decision to ensure that he remains physically and mentally prepared for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Similarly, Fakhar Zaman was not considered as he is yet to regain his form and fitness for the game”, he added.
It is pertinent to mention that PCB announced Pakistan’s red-ball and white-ball teams for the next series across all formats against the Proteas on December 4, 2024.
The T20I team will leave for South Africa on December 6, while the ODI and Test teams will leave on December 13. Red-ball coach Jason Gillespie will join the team in Johannesburg ahead of the Test series.
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