Mumbai, April 7 – Pakistan batter Fakhar Zaman, who is serving a two-match ban in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), has denied reports that he will retire from T20 international cricket, as he is considering moving to the United States, a news report said on Tuesday.
There were reports and claims on social media that Fakhar, who turns 36 on Friday, has moved his family to the USA and will retire from T20Is. He has also been struggling with fitness issues, including hormonal problems, which have caused frequent injuries.
"Fakhar is not retiring at all, and he has conveyed this to the Pakistan Cricket Board and the selection committee," sources close to the cricketer told Telecom Asia Sport on Tuesday.
The star batter played just two matches in the T20I World Cup, scoring 25 and 84 with aggressive batting, but he had to withdraw from the ODI squad for the tour of Bangladesh due to fitness issues.
Those issues revived reports that he would quit T20Is to focus on the 50-over format.
Pakistan will not play a T20I until October, when they host Sri Lanka, while their next ODI series will be at home against Australia in May-June this year.
"Fakhar is determined to play in the 2028 T20I World Cup, and he is also working on his fitness. He also wants to represent the country in the Los Angeles Olympics, as Pakistan is likely to get a spot alongside India," sources told www.telecomasia.net.
Fakhar is serving a two-match ban for ball tampering during the Lahore Qalandars' match against Karachi Kings on March 29 in the Pakistan Super League. He denied the charges before the match referee, Roshan Mahanama.
The match referee rejected his clarification, while a three-man PCB committee upheld the ban after a hearing.