Mohammad Hafeez: “The plan was that we’ll play him, give him a full run, till the World Cup. He’s not going anywhere”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan team director and interim head coach Mohammad Hafeez said he had plans to give wicketkeeper-batsman Azam Khan a “full run” until the 2024 T20 World Cup in June.
Azam has not been able to make any notable scores in his eight T20Is to date as he has been restricted to 29 runs at an average of 4.83 and a strike-rate of 90.62.
Despite the 25-year-old’s subpar performances, Hafeez didn’t want to drop him as he was confident the big-hitting batsman would pay dividends in the future.
“The plan was that we’ll play him, give him a full run, till the World Cup. He’s not going anywhere,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Azam recently played for Pakistan in their five-match T20I series against New Zealand and mustered 22 runs in three games at an average of 7.33 and a strike-rate of 115.78.
He is now representing Islamabad United in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and has scored 156 runs in eight matches, which includes a top score of 75, at an average of 31.20 and a strike-rate of 183.52.
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
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