Karachi, March 16 Confusion reigns in Pakistani cricket regarding the exact reasons behind Babar Azam's exclusion from the three-match ODI series in Bangladesh, which the visitors lost 1-2 with a narrow defeat in the final match.
The confusion stems from comments made by one of the selectors, head coach Mike Hesson, and Babar himself, amid the debate about whether the former captain and star batter should have been excluded from the tour or not.
The PCB initially announced the squad for the Bangladesh tour without mentioning if Babar and other senior players were dropped or rested.
Last Saturday, senior selector Aaqib Javed told the media that the selectors had been informed that Babar and Fakhar Zaman were injured after the T20 World Cup.
"We were surprised to hear this, and we have asked the PCB to investigate the matter and find out how they got injured after the World Cup and whether they played in the tournament fully fit or not," Javed said.
However, a day later, Babar posted pictures of himself on social media in which he appeared to be sarcastically questioning Javed's take on his fitness.
Later in the day, after Pakistan lost the third and final ODI in Dhaka, head coach Mike Hesson came out with a new version, stating that Pakistan had rested senior players including Babar to give a chance to younger players.
Pakistan included four uncapped rookies in the ODI series, including Maaz Sadaqat, Shamyl Hussain, Ghazi Ghori, and Saad Masood, while Sahibzada Farhan and Abdul Samad also made their ODI debuts in the series.
The team management tried out all four rookies in the series, along with Farhan and Samad, and Hesson expressed satisfaction with the performance of the new players, insisting that they had shown their ability to compete in international cricket.
Several former Pakistani players and even fans on social media have now urged the PCB to explain the rationale behind Babar's exclusion.
Some former players have even blamed Javed, who is also the head of the high performance center, for having a personal grudge against Babar.