Reports: Vidarbha batsman Faiz Fazal likely to give up T20 format ahead of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Vidarbha cricketer Faiz Fazal has been a vital cog of the team over the years. Most of the times, he is the first name in the sheet and has led Vidarbha to a lot of trophies since his junior days. However, the man looks set to give up the T20 format of the game in order to make a place for a youngster. He is unlikely to play the upcoming edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy which is set to commence on January 10.

Faiz Fazal has featured in 66 T20 matches in his career having made his debut in the format in 2007. He has amassed 1273 runs at an average of 20.86 and a strike-rate of 106.17 with four half-centuries. The strike-rate of below 110 could have turned to be a problem for him as no IPL franchise has ever approached him since 2011. He featured for Rajasthan Royals in 12 matches where he scored only 183 runs at a strike-rate of 105.78.

A source confirmed the news of Faiz Fazal giving up the shortest format of the game to the Times of India. The source also went on to say that the left-hander won’t play the T20s for Vidarbha again. “At 35, Faiz realizes that he isn’t in the national scheme of things. It’s unfortunate that he has been branded as a longer-format player despite having all the shots in the book.

“The IPL franchises too are showing interest in him. He doesn’t want to block a youngster’s place, though he can still do the job for Vidarbha in Twenty20 format. It’s highly likely that he won’t play Twenty20 for Vidarbha again,” the source said.

Faiz Fazal hasn’t played practice matches as well

Faiz Fazal hasn’t taken part in the practice matches as well ahead of SMAT20. The source also cleared that there is no pressure from the selectors on the 35-year-old as well and lauded him for his selfless act and for being a team man. “I think he has made up his mind not to play T20, otherwise he would have definitely played these matches (warm-ups).

“There’s no pressure from the selectors or administrators on Faiz to give up the T20 format. However, the team man that he is, it’s a selfless act from Faiz. He has always put the team’s interest ahead of personal milestones and that’s why he has won so many trophies in his 17-year career,” the source further said.