Azam Khan is a ‘compromise’ for Pakistan, says former director of team

Azam Khan, an explosive domestic player for Pakistan, is yet to showcase his potential in the international tournaments. The fans and cricket veterans have raised concerns about his fitness levels and approach to the game. Former Pakistan team director Mohammad Hafeez shed some light on Azam Khan’s fitness routine and said that it is very different from that of the other players. Hafeez said that Azam Khan takes almost twice the time to complete a fitness task compared to his teammates.

“The whole Pakistan team can cover two kilometres in 10 minutes, while Azam Khan will take 20 minutes to cover the distance. Sadly, Azam Khan is not serious about playing international cricket,” Hafeez said.

“Being lean or oversized is never an issue for me, but you need to work according to the needs of the game. You need to bring your fitness to a required level. We gave him a fitness plan, but he [Azam] could not improve. You are on the team because of your talent, but you need to respond in terms of fitness. You are the only one in the team on whom we have compromised on the grounds of fitness,” he added.

Hafeez’s remarks came days after Azam Khan’s video went viral on the internet, where he can be seen munching street food in New York at midnight. The fans expressed their unhappiness with how the batter is conducting himself even after getting dropped from the team.

Pakistan faces heat

Not just Azam Khan, but the entire Pakistan team is facing severe criticism from their fans, who seem disappointed by the team’s run in the T20 World Cup 2024 so far. Pakistan received a major setback in its first game in the tournament when hosts, the USA, defeated the 2009 World Champions in the Super Over.

Defeat against India in the next match made things worse for Pakistan and their qualification is resting upon the performances of USA and Ireland.