Pakistan has been eliminated from the tournament after failing to secure enough points to progress to Super-8s, losing two back-to-back matches against the US and India. It overcame Canada by seven wickets in New York with one match to be played against Ireland on Sunday that is inconsequential.
Azam Khan has faced scrutiny for his fitness and performance, and he has not lived up to expectations. The wicketkeeper-batter has been dropped and is not anticipated to rejoin the playing XI for the rest of the tournament.
In a discussion with a local news channel, former Pakistan team director Mohammad Hafeez highlighted Azam’s fitness issues. “The entire Pakistan team can run two kilometers in 10 minutes, whereas it would take Azam Khan 20 minutes. Unfortunately, Azam Khan is not demonstrating the seriousness required for international cricket,” he commented.
“Being underweight or overweight is not the main issue for me, but meeting the game’s physical demands is essential. We provided him with a fitness plan which he failed to follow. Talent alone isn’t enough; fitness responsiveness is critical. He’s the only player whose fitness we’ve compromised on,” Hafeez added.
Azam made his T20I debut in 2021 but has scored only 88 runs since. He was also out for a golden duck in his first T20 World Cup match, drawing extensive criticism from former Pakistan players and fans.
