Mohammad Hafeez: “All I care about is that you need to bring your fat level down and improve your running abilities. You need to increase your running abilities so that the team’s balance doesn’t get affected during the game”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan team director Mohammad Hafeez has urged wicketkeeper-batsman Azam Khan to work on his running so that he doesn’t become a burden on the team.
Azam has long been criticised for his weight and even though he has worked hard to get fitter, Hafeez pointed out that there are still areas where the 26-year-old can get better.
In addition to running faster, Hafeez also wants the big-hitter to bring his fat level down in order to be more agile.
“All I care about is that you need to bring your fat level down and improve your running abilities. You need to increase your running abilities so that the team’s balance doesn’t get affected during the game,” the former all-rounder was quoted as saying by PakPassion.
Azam recently played for Pakistan in the 2024 T20 World Cup, but failed to have an impact as he was dismissed for a golden duck against the United States of America, which was the only game he played.
He was not picked for Pakistan’s two-match Test series against Bangladesh, where the men in green find themselves 1-0 down after losing the first Test by 10 wickets.
The second Test began on August 30 in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Shaheen Shah Afridi