Pakistan big-hitter Azam Khan: “I rate my performances more [than fitness]”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Azam Khan, the Pakistan big man who can hit the ball a long way, has made it clear that he prioritises his performances over fitness.
The 24-year-old son of Moin Khan has been criticised in the past for being overweight and not meeting the required fitness standards to play international cricket.
That said, he was in impressive form during the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he amassed 282 runs in 10 matches for Islamabad United, which included two fifties, at an average of 40.28 and a strike-rate of 161.14.
Azam knows that as long as he keeps scoring runs, his chances of getting selected in the national team remain high.
“I rate my performances more [than fitness],” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Following PSL 8, Azam was selected in the national team for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. He only featured in two of the matches, scoring 0 and 1 respectively.
Azam did not play in the limited overs series against New Zealand that followed, which consisted of five T20Is and five ODIs.
Overall, the up-and-coming wicketkeeper-batsman has made seven runs in five T20Is at an average of 2.33 and a strike-rate of 53.84.