Alex Hales: “I think he’s got a really bright future ahead of him. He’s a brilliant player”

Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani

England big-hitter Alex Hales firmly believes Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Azam Khan has a “really bright future ahead of him” as he is “a brilliant player.”

Azam has shown plenty of promise at the domestic level and has delivered a number of outstanding performances over the last couple of years.

However, he hasn’t been able to replicate that success when playing for Pakistan as his numbers have been abysmal so far.

In eight T20Is, the 25-year-old has only managed to muster 29 runs at an average of 4.83 and a strike-rate of 90.62.

He was given another chance to prove his worth during the five-match T20I series against New Zealand but once again, he failed to do so as he made 22 runs in three games at an average of 7.33 and a strike-rate of 115.78.

While it remains to be seen if he will get another opportunity to play for Pakistan, Hales feels that Azam should be backed as he has serious amounts of talent.

“I think he’s got a really bright future ahead of him. He’s a brilliant player,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.

Both Hales and Azam recently represented Islamabad United in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), with the former scoring 148 runs in 10 matches at an average of 14.80 and a strike-rate of 124.36.

Azam, meanwhile, amassed 226 runs in 12 games, which included a top score of 75, at an average of 25.11 and a strike-rate of 171.21.

Pakistan’s next assignment will be a five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which will be held in Rawalpindi and Lahore from April 18 to 27.

Pakistan Squad for New Zealand T20I Series: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Zaman Khan

Non-travelling reserves: Haseebullah Khan, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha

MORE PAKISTAN CRICKET NEWS: He was the best man as captain, Wahab Riaz on Pakistan batsman who hasn’t won any trophies

[TS_Poll id=”23″]