LAHORE: Pakistan’s experienced left-handed opener Fakhar Zaman was left out of their lineup for the ongoing second T20I of the three-match series here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday.
Fakhar, who opened the innings for the hosts alongside fellow left-handed opener Saim Ayub in the series opener, could only score one in Pakistan’s 37-run victory.
Meanwhile, the 35-year-old was not named in Pakistan’s playing XI and was replaced by Sahibzada Farhan, whose exclusion from the preceding fixture triggered an outburst on social media as he was the leading run-scorer of the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha, at the toss, explained that Fakhar Zaman’s absence was due to him being not 100 per cent as he has a niggle. Agha further stated that the hosts wanted to put the opposition under pressure by piling runs on the board and thus chose to bat first in the second T20I as well. “We want to post a good total and then put the opposition under pressure.”
