Former Pakistan cricketers Shoaib Malik and Misbah ul Haq have raised questions regarding Azam Khan's fitness ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.
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The 25-year-old wicketkeeper has also been under the scanner recently due to his poor performances with the bat, both internationally and in the domestic competitions, which has caused adverse reactions from both the fans and experts.
Pakistan will face-off against USA in their opening game of the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas on June 6.
What was Shoaib Malik's take regarding Azam Khan's fitness?
Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik was speaking on TenSports Pakistan when he was asked about his insights regarding Azam Khan's lack of fitness.
Malik talked about how he has seen the kind of work that Azam Khan puts in training, first-hand but he also suggested that the 25-year old should set goals for himself regarding his physical fitness.
"Coming to Azam Khan's fitness, I would like to just say one thing. He should set a goal for himself related to his physical fitness."
"I have seen myself that he works hard. Even my own trainer has also worked with him. He needs to cut down on certain meals. Look, if you have set a certain goal, you obviously need to do hard work to achieve them. He needs to sit and discuss about the weight goals, in a way that the weight does not make his movement slow and at the same time, make sure that his power [strength] also remains the same."
Malik added that the youngster should only continue to focus on himself and not worry about fans' opinions.
What did Misbah ul Haq say about Azam Khan's fitness?
Former captain Misbah ul Haq, who has coached Azam Khan in the past, defended the player but also added that he should get serious about his fitness and performances.
"Even physically fit players can have bad performances. We should not be more critical of Azam Khan just because he is less physically fit or in a bigger shape."
Misbah highlighted that some of discussions on Azam Khan were over the line and that criticisms should be focused on his performances, not on trolling and shaming the youngster.
"Before Azam Khan played for Pakistan and when he was performing well in the PSL [Pakistan Super League], all these same people who are making fun of him now, were praising him then for the way he hits the ball and looking at his strike rate, saying that there is no other batter better than him for Pakistan's middle order, but after he dropped a catch in one game, people started talking about aspects of him apart from his performances. This should never happen," he added.
"On the other hand, if we were to look at Azam Khan. I believe he should be a little more serious about his fitness and discipline. Everyone knows he can't be as a lean as someone like Shoaib Malik, but he could have done better."
"Azam needs to think about these criticisms. When your performances are bad, people don't stop criticizing even a player like Virat Kohli."
Misbah also believes that Azam Khan needs to make the best of the opportunities he gets.
What is Azam Khan's record in T20 cricket?
| Format | Matches | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | High Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All T20s | 165 | 3242 | 24.9 | 148.0 | 109* |
| T20Is | 13 | 88 | 9.8 | 135.4 | 30* |
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