Shoaib Akhtar: “Azam Khan is a very good cricketer who has faced unnecessary backlash”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Iconic Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar thinks big-hitting wicketkeeper-batsman Azam Khan “is a very good cricketer who has faced unnecessary backlash”.
Azam has regularly been criticised for being overweight and for his inconsistent performances with the bat.
During the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL), the 26-year-old scored 66 runs in seven games for Islamabad United at an average of 11 and a strike-rate of 101.53.
Despite this, Akhtar defended Azam, saying he gets a bad rap for no reason.
“Azam Khan is a very good cricketer who has faced unnecessary backlash,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Following the conclusion of PSL 10, Pakistan went up against Bangladesh in a three-match T20I series, but Azam was not selected in the squad.
The men in green won the series 3-0.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a tour of Bangladesh, where they will play three T20Is in Mirpur from July 20 to 24.
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh T20I Series:Â Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza and Sufiyan Muqeem