Pakistan’s senior players, Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman, might not have been 100% fit when they were picked in the T20 World Cup squad. The controversy around their fitnessย has deepened after the medical panel of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) suspected that the two players carried injuries into the World Cup.ย
PCB selector Aaqib Javed raised concerns over the same in a press conference last week and had asked the board to investigate the matter.ย Dr Javed Mughal, a UK-based consultant on sports physiotherapy and medicine, who joined the PCB medical panel as director of sports exercise and medicine in January 2026, has expressed his concerns over Babar and Fakhar’s fitness in the mega event as per a source close to the board, reported PTI.
The injury concerns came to light when Babar Azam refused to play in the National T20 Cup after returning from the T20 World Cup. Even Fakhar was dealing with similar issues but was cleared to participate in the tournament on March 15 after which he played three matches, including in the final for Abbottabad Region.
“When Babar was examined his injury turned out to be more serious than initially diagnosed while Fakhar also has been struggling with the same problem for months now,” the source said.
Did the Pakistan team physio allow players to play with niggles?
Notably, the selection committee has made it clear to the medical panel that they picked a full fit squad as the selected players got the fitness clearance from Pakistan team physiotherapist,ย Cliffe Deacon. Interestingly, allegations suggest that Deacon has previously allowedย players with niggling injuries to play because of his close relationship with them.
This matter can now get serious if both senior players were not fully fit and still were able to get clearance from the team physio for the T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, Babar is currently at the National Cricket Academy, rehabilitating under the supervision of the medical panel. He is expected to get fit for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) that is scheduled to start on March 26 where he will also lead Peshawar Zalmi.
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