The highly-anticipated encounter between India and Pakistan will be played on Sunday, June 09. The ongoing ICC tournament would see the customary India-Pakistan clash take place in the New York City, at the Nassau County Stadium.
However, the narratives ahead of the game, have unexpectedly taken a huge U-turn. Pakistan's upset against USA in their inaugural match has shifted all the attention from the India-Pakistan clash, to the latter's potential elimination after the group stages of the T20 World Cup 2024.
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And in the minute scheme of things, all the attention within the Pakistan squad has turned towards Azam Khan. The 25-year-old was heavily criticised upon making it to the World Cup squad. As if that wasn't enough, Azam was dismissed for a golden duck against USA. And to top all of that, he ran into a fight with a fan in the stands, as he walked into the dugout.
With so much happening around the youngster, the critics believe that Azam Khan could be dropped for Pakistan's clash against India in New York on Sunday. Former Pakistan cricketer, Bazid Khan spoke to media outlet Ten Sports about the situation around the wicket-keeper/batter.
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What did Bazid Khan say about the selection of Azam Khan ahead of Ind-Pak clash?
Speaking to media outlet Ten Cricket, Bazid Khan has suggested Pakistan team management to drop Azam Khan for a few matches. He also pointed out how Mohammad Rizwan kept the wickets against USA, and not Azam Khan.
He did not even keep the wickets against USA. This is a sign that the responsibilities are being taken away from him, slowly but surely. He did not even bat for Pakistan in the super over, as he was dismissed in the 13th over, Bazid Khan pointed out on the snatching away of responsibilities from Azam.
The team should remove Azam Khan out of the pressure situation that he finds himself in. Now is the time that he gets benched for a couple of matches, Khan opined.
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Bazid Khan expressed that Azam Khan's mind is 'scrambled', and the 25-year-old needs to rest a few games out. The team should help the youngster to get out of the mounting pressure.
His mind is scrambled at this point. The way he plays the spin, it was quite unusual to see him fall to bowlers who were unable to even turn the ball. Now is the time to remove him, and then bring him back for a fresh start, Bazid Khan spoke with media outlet Ten Cricket.
Watch @bazidkhan81 discussion where he dives deep into Azam Khan's performance pressure and provides his expert solution!
— TenSports Pakistan (@TenPakistan) June 7, 2024
Tune in to Hum Sports on YouTube to watch complete episodes.https://t.co/YMZgCOP7yT#WatchtheFlick #QtheFlick #TenSportsHD #humtv #t20worldcup2024 pic.twitter.com/7nPnNqTxuk
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What is Azam Khan's record for Pakistan in T20Is?
In a world where you add the column of 50s/100s for batsmen, there could be a distinguished column of Ducks (0s) for Azam Khan. Such has been his international career so far.
The son of former Pakistan international Moin Khan, Azam has made 14 appearances in the T20I format. Out of those, he has been dismissed without troubling the scores, on four occasions, and is yet to cross the 100-run mark in his career.
| Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | Ducks | High Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 13 | 88 | 8.80 | 133.33 | 4 | 30* |
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