Pakistan's top-order batter, Ahmed Shehzad, has expressed concerns over the exclusion of key players from the national squad 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, top-order batter Fakhar Zaman, and fast bowler Shaheen Afridi from the team.
He expressed frustration over Sajid Khan's absence from the squad, particularly after his stellar performance in the Test series against England, where he took 19 wickets in just two matches.
"You have dropped Sajid Khan from the South Africa series; are you people blind or out of your minds? Do you think you’re the only ones going to play in South Africa, where the entire world doesn’t play? And there, you're taking just Noman Ali," Shehzad said.
"You should be thanking Sajid because, in the slump Pakistan cricket has been stuck in for the last three and a half years—where it had hit rock bottom and people had started laughing at your cricket—he won matches for you [referring to the England series]. And this is how you’ve rewarded him? Just as he was becoming a superstar, you discarded him like a fly from milk," he added.
The 33-year-old also defended Fakhar Zaman, who has faced criticism and exclusion following his tweet supporting Babar's omission from the team during the England series.
He accused the PCB of being overly harsh on Fakhar.
"You’ve dropped Fakhar Zaman again. Listen to me, we even supported PCB on this matter, agreeing that as a centrally contracted player, Fakhar shouldn’t have done certain things. But look at what you’ve done — you’ve punished him so harshly, as if the previous punishment wasn’t enough. What’s next? Are you planning to hang him? Champions Trophy is coming up, and he’s your ace player in ODIs. Instead of giving him confidence, you’ve sidelined him," he said.
"What fitness are you talking about? Did Noman or other players pass their fitness tests? You’re lying and fooling the public. You’ve been extremely unfair to Fakhar. Dropping him again is not just an injustice to him but also to the nation and the team. He’s the only player who can give you a chance in ODIs. If you don’t play him now, then when will you?"
"It seems like PCB is taking out its frustration or the selection committee is just acting as a puppet, like those before them. If they continue working like this, then you might as well sideline them too, just as you’ve done with other employees," he added.
The right-handed batter also commented on the decision to exclude Shaheen Afridi from the Test team to manage his workload, replacing him with Mohammad Abbas, who is set to make his comeback after three years.
"So, you've dropped Shaheen, brought in your own group, and what did you achieve by dropping Shaheen? Managing workload, right? Such an excellent job managing workload—you've made Haris Rauf play all the matches. Who are you fooling? You're just fooling the public in the name of workload management," said Ahmed.
"You've formed your own little group and are obliging all your favorite players. Is this your vision—to bring in such incompetent people, hand over the entire responsibility of Pakistan cricket to them, and let them ruin it before leaving?" he concluded.
Previously, in a statement released by the PCB, Pakistan's interim head coach and selection committee member Aaqib Javed revealed the reasons behind the exclusion of Fakhar, Sajid, and Shaheen from the national team for the aforementioned series.
“Leaving out Sajid Khan, despite his stellar performances against England, was an extremely tough decision. However, considering the pace-friendly conditions at Centurion and Cape Town, we opted for Mohammad Abbas instead, who is an outstanding exponent of seam bowling," Javed said in a statement released by the PCB.
“Shaheen Shah Afridi’s exclusion from the Test squad is a strategic decision to ensure he remains physically and mentally fresh for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Similarly, Fakhar Zaman was not considered as he has yet to regain form and match fitness," he added.
It is pertinent to mention that the PCB announced Pakistan's red-ball and white-ball squads for the upcoming all-format series against the Proteas on December 4, 2024.
The T20I squad will depart 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.
Tour schedule:
- 10 Dec – First T20I, Durban
- 13 Dec – Second T20I, Centurion
- 14 Dec – Third T20I, Johannesburg
- 17 Dec – First ODI, Paarl
- 19 Dec – Second ODI, Cape Town
- 22 Dec – Third ODI, Johannesburg
- 26-30 Dec – First Test, Centurion
- 3-7 Jan – Second Test, Cape Town
- Ahmed Shehzad
- Shaheen Afridi
- Fakhar Zaman
