Pakistan selection scandal brews; physio under scanner as PCB suspects Babar, Fakhar were unfit during World Cup call

The matter had already been hinted at by senior selector Aaqib Javed during last week’s ODI squad announcement for the Bangladesh series

A fresh selection scandal gripped Pakistan cricket on Wednesday after the team physio came under scrutiny, with the medical panel of the Pakistan Cricket Board suspecting that senior players Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman may not have been fully fit when they were picked in the T20 World Cup squad.

Babar Azam was not a part of the ODI squad for the Bangladesh series.

According to a PTI report, the concerns surfaced after post-World Cup medical assessments of both players. The issue was flagged by Dr Javed Mughal, a UK-based consultant in sports physiotherapy and medicine, who joined the PCB medical panel as director of sports exercise and medicine in January.

The matter had already been hinted at by senior selector Aaqib Javed during last week’s ODI squad announcement for the Bangladesh series, from which both Babar and Fakhar were excluded. He had confirmed that the board would investigate the circumstances surrounding their fitness.

The controversy deepened after Babar opted out of the National T20 Championship following the World Cup due to a lingering hamstring issue, while Fakhar was also dealing with similar fitness concerns.

“When Babar was examined, his injury turned out to be more serious than initially diagnosed, while Fakhar has been struggling with the same problem for months now,” a source said.

The report further revealed that the national selection committee had informed the PCB medical panel that both players were cleared for selection by team physiotherapist Cliffe Deacon.

However, Deacon has previously faced allegations of clearing players for tournaments despite carrying niggling injuries, reportedly due to his close working relationship with members of the squad — a claim that now adds further weight to the ongoing probe.

Babar is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy under the supervision of the PCB medical panel and is expected to be fit in time for the Pakistan Super League, where he will captain Peshawar Zalmi. The tournament is scheduled to begin on March 26.

Fakhar, meanwhile, returned to action in a National T20 Cup match on Tuesday and later indicated on social media that while he was not fully fit during the Bangladesh ODI series, he has since recovered enough to feature in the ongoing T20 competition.