Wahab Riaz: “If Azam participates in a match, it will be in the capacity of a wicketkeeper and not as a fielder”
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Pakistan chief selector Wahab Riaz has made it clear that Azam Khan will only be picked as a wicketkeeper-batsman when playing for the national team.
He noted that he doesn’t want the 25-year-old fielding anywhere else, likely due to his fitness, which has been a prominent problem for quite some time.
Azam, who is the son of former Pakistan captain Moin Khan, has been heavily criticised for being overweight and inconsistent as a batsman.
While he has worked hard to address his weight issues, the power-hitter has failed to live up to expectations in international cricket as he has scored 29 runs in eight T20Is at an average of 4.83 and a strike-rate of 90.62.
“If Azam participates in a match, it will be in the capacity of a wicketkeeper and not as a fielder,” Wahab was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Azam recently played in Pakistan’s five-match T20I series against New Zealand and made scores of 10, 2 and 10 in the three games he featured in.
He will now play for Islamabad United in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), which will take place from February 17 to March 18 in four cities – Lahore, Multan, Karachi and Rawalpindi.
Islamabad United Squad for PSL 9: Shadab Khan (captain), Naseem Shah, Imad Wasim, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Alex Hales, Colin Munro, Rumman Raees, Matthew Forde, Salman Ali Agha, Qasim Akram, Shahab Khan, Hunain Shah, Ubaid Shah, Shamyl Hussain, Tom Curran (reserved), Obed McCoy, Haider Ali
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