Pakistan Star Sparks PCB Revolt With Viral Social Media Move
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently announced a 16-member squad for the upcoming ODI series against Australia. The three-match series will start on May 30 and will be played in Rawalpindi and Lahore until June 4. However, soon after the squad announcement, fans on social media started discussing and criticizing some of the selections. The new ODI squad includes several big changes. These changes came after Pakistan’s disappointing Test series defeat against Bangladesh, which increased pressure on the selectors and team management.
One of the biggest talking points was the exclusion of Rizwan from the ODI squad. Although Rizwan performed well in the recent Test series, his poor ODI form in Bangladesh earlier this year seems to have worked against him. In that series, he managed only 58 runs in three matches. At the same time, players like Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan, and Sufyan Moqim have returned to the squad after missing the ODI tour of Bangladesh in March.
Pakistan Star Sparks PCB Controversy With Bold Social Media Repost
Left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi will continue to lead the team. Meanwhile, Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, and Rohail Nazir have earned their first-ever ODI call-ups. Amid the growing debate, Pakistan batter Khushdil Shah created fresh controversy with his recent social media activity. The 31-year-old cricketer reposted a tweet that strongly criticized PCB’s selection decisions. The reposted tweet questioned the inclusion of Shadab Khan and the exclusion of Rizwan.
As expected, the repost quickly went viral on social media. Fans then started debating whether Khushdil Shah shared the tweet intentionally or if it was just a mistake. Interestingly, this is not the first time Khushdil Shah has indirectly criticised the PCB. Last month, he openly questioned the team management and selectors over his exclusion from the national side despite being in good form. Although Khushdil has not played for Pakistan since the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 match against the UAE, he remained active in domestic cricket. In PSL 2026, the all-rounder scored 109 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 137.97.
Therefore, many supporters believe the batter feels frustrated over being ignored repeatedly despite contributing in franchise cricket. The Pakistan squad is scheduled to assemble in Islamabad on Friday before starting its training camp under head coach Mike Hesson on May 23. On the other hand, the Australian team is also expected to arrive in Islamabad on the same day.
