In addition to criticism for his on-field exploits, Azam Khan, the son of former Pakistani wicketkeeper-batter Moin Khan, has endured severe mockery for his physical condition from both supporters and previous players.
Moin hinted that his son’s sudden dismissal from the team after just one match against the USA, the co-hosts of the T20 World Cup 2024, was unjustified in a recent conversation.
“I watched every World Cup match as well as the ones that preceded it, and it felt like Azam was the best option for both batting and keeping wicket. The whole plan was abruptly altered after just one game, according to Moin, who was cited by The Indian Express.
At every level of the organisation, Moin questioned the logic of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s hire-and-fire approach.
“After one match, Azam was dropped after being out on the opening delivery (against the USA) and was not given another opportunity to hold wickets. Though there is no longer the tradition of nurturing players here, any player can be out on the first ball. How are we going to develop quality players if the management or captain are changing players so quickly? Moin posed a hypothetical question.
Moin played 288 international matches for Pakistan and blamed the chairman at the time, Ramiz Raja, in part for discouraging his son.
Moin stated, “At that time, they should have removed the chief selector if he had made a mistake in selection, but they lacked the courage, and as a result, they demoralised a young player.”
Azam has his own shortcomings too: Moin Khan
Moin continued, “My son, who is 26 years old, has a lot of areas in which he needs to improve. He has been working hard with his trainer to accomplish his goals recently.”
“Azam has flaws of his own, too. I’m not blaming the captain and the team management entirely. He needs to strengthen both his body and mind, and he should emulate other athletes’ exercise regimens. He has been training hard to increase his fitness with his trainer Shehzar Mohammad for the past month or so, and they even went to the Caribbean League together. Moin went on, “I hope Azam has gained a lot of knowledge from this experience.
Azam has struggled to get going for the Guyana Amazon Warriors despite putting in a lot of effort to improve his fitness in the West Indies. Azam’s score was 9, 2, and 0, and he was unable to put together any significant runs during his time at the crease for the time being, despite the club won all three of their games to start their CPL 2024 season on a high note.
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Although Moin’s career lasted for 14 long years, given Azam’s current situation, it appears unlikely that he will establish himself as a regular in any of the national team’s three setups, barring a turnabout in which he produces a string of standout performances.
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