Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Azam Khan: “For the past four or five years, I have been playing a lot of cricket, so I didn’t have the time to focus on my fitness”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan power-hitter Azam Khan has revealed that he didn’t have time to focus on his fitness as he has been playing a lot of cricket over the past four to five years.
Azam has shown flashes of brilliance with the bat at the domestic level, but hasn’t been able to replicate it in international cricket, where he has amassed 88 runs in 14 T20Is at an average of 8.80 and a strike-rate of 133.33.
Earlier this year, he was in action in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and accumulated 66 runs in seven games for Islamabad United at an average of 11 and a strike-rate of 101.53.
Knowing all the criticism he has endured for being overweight and unfit, the 27-year-old is putting in the work to change that at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore.
“Right now, I am in Lahore and trying to work on my fitness and game at the NCA (National Cricket Academy). My weight loss would not happen in a couple of weeks or in a couple of days. It needs time, and for the past four or five years, I have been playing a lot of cricket, so I didn’t have the time to focus on my fitness,” Azam was quoted as saying by A Sports.
After PSL 10, Azam was not picked for Pakistan’s three-match series against Bangladesh in Lahore, the tour of Bangladesh, the limited overs tour of the West Indies, and the T20I tri-series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan in Sharjah.
He also failed to make the cut for the ongoing 2025 Asia Cup, which is being played in the UAE.
Pakistan beat Oman and the UAE in the group stage, but lost to India as well.
It was still enough to get them into the Super Four, where they have lost to India and defeated Sri Lanka.
Pakistan’s next match will be against Bangladesh on September 25 in Dubai.
Pakistan squad for UAE T20I tri-series and 2025 Asia Cup: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem