Saeed Ajmal: “Some serious power-hitting skills”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Saeed Ajmal, the legendary Pakistan spinner, said wicketkeeper-batsman Azam Khan possesses “serious power-hitting skills.”
Azam, who is the son of former Pakistan captain Moin Khan, showcased his wide array of big shots during the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he represented Islamabad United.
In the 10 matches, he played, the 25-year-old amassed 282 runs, which included two half-centuries, at an average of 40.28 and a strike-rate of 161.14.
He was given a chance to prove his worth at the international level during the T20I series against Afghanistan, but failed to maintain his momentum.
Currently, he is in action for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and has scored 170 runs in 11 matches at an average of 17 and a strike-rate of 145.29.
Despite not having had the same impact in the CPL as he did in the PSL, Ajmal acknowledged that Azam is still a big-hitter to keep an eye on as he can inflict serious damage in the blink of an eye.
“Some serious power-hitting skills,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Azam wasn’t picked for Pakistan’s two-Test series against Sri Lanka or the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan.
He also didn’t make the cut for the Asia Cup, where the men in green began with a 238-run win over Nepal before sharing one point apiece with India as their match was rained off.
Having advanced to the Super Four stage, they continued to impress as they thumped Bangladesh by seven wickets.
However, things started to go wrong from this point as Pakistan lost to India by 228 runs and Sri Lanka by two wickets via the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method (DLS) method, which led to them being knocked out of the Asia Cup.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 Asia Cup: Babar Azam (capt), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Shahnawaz Dahani, Zaman Khan.
Travelling reserve: Tayyab Tahir