Salman Butt: “He (Azam Khan) should have gotten a chance to play the entire series. In a couple of matches, he went to bat when the required run rate was close to 13, which isn’t easy for any batter”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt believes wicketkeeper-batsman Azam Khan should have played all five T20Is against New Zealand in January.
Azam was recalled to the T20I team for the series, but only featured in three games and mustered 22 runs at an average of 7.33 and a strike-rate of 115.78.
Salman added that whenever the 25-year-old came out to bat, the required run rate was so high, which meant that he had no option but to go big from ball one.
“He (Azam Khan) should have gotten a chance to play the entire series. In a couple of matches, he went to bat when the required run rate was close to 13, which isn’t easy for any batter,” he said on his YouTube channel as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
Azam is now playing for Islamabad United in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and has accumulated 89 runs in four matches, which includes a top score of 75, at an average of 29.66 and a strike-rate of 202.27.
Islamabad United Squad for PSL 9: Shadab Khan (captain), Naseem Shah, Jordan Cox, Imad Wasim, Azam Khan, Tymal Mills, Faheem Ashraf, Alex Hales, Colin Munro, Rumman Raees, Matthew Forde, Salman Ali Agha, Qasim Akram, Shahab Khan, Hunain Shah, Ubaid Shah, Shamyl Hussain, Obed McCoy, Haider Ali, Muhammad Waseem