Pakistan white-ball captain Babar Azam came out in support of his teammate Azam Khan amid criticism over his poor returns in the recently concluded T20I series against England.
Azam has been criticized for his poor show with the bat in the 2nd and 4th T20I of the series against England. In the final match of the T20I series, Azam Khan was dismissed for a 5-ball duck when he mis-hit the short ball delivery off Mark Wood, resulting in an easy catch by skipper Jos Buttler behind the stumps.
The 23-year-old was up to the mark behind the stumps as he missed an easy catch of Will Jacks, denying a wicket to Haris Rauf. Azam Khan has been under the scrutiny of the fans and media alike not just because of his poor performances in the series but also because of the 'nepotism' tag attached to him since he is the son of former Pakistan cricketer Moin Khan.
Speaking at the press conference, Babar Azam backed Azam Khan's inclusion while shedding light on the scrutiny by the media whether a player is picked or not, only to later question the selection in the team. He added that the selected players in the team should be backed.
"When we don't select a player, you ask us why did we not select him. And then when we select him, you ask us why was he selected. We need to back who have been selected in the team." Azam said.
Azam Khan hasn't yet made his mark in the international cricket since making his international debut in a T20I match against England in July 2021. In the last five outings, wicketkeeper-batter registered the scores of 0, 30*, 18*, 11 and 0.
In 9 T20I matches, The 25-year-old has only scored 88 runs at an average of 9.77 and a strike rate of 135.38. Despite poor performances in the shortest format, Azam Khan continued to feature in Pakistan's playing XI.
Azam Khan has been included in the 15-member Pakistan for the T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to take place in the West Indies and the USA. The Men in Green will begin their campaign against hosts the USA at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
