Former Pakistan captain Moin Khan feels his son Azam Khan’s confidence has been dented for not getting a consistent run in the national side.
Azam has been a familiar name in T20 cricket for his finishing prowess, but the promise hasn’t been translated into the international format for Pakistan. Since his debut in 2021, his chances in the national colours have come sparingly, with only 14 matches to his name.
Azam was a part of Pakistan’s demoralising T20 World Cup loss against the USA in their campaign opener. He scored a golden duck as wicketkeeper and was dropped after that, with Mohammad Rizwan donning the gloves again.
His poor form has also continued in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). With pressure mounting on Azam, Moin has come out in support of him, claiming the lack of a consistent run in the national side has hurt his son’s confidence.
"I watched the entire World Cup and the matches leading up to it, and it seemed like Azam was the number one choice for wicketkeeping and batting. Then suddenly, after just one match, the entire strategy was changed," Moin said to Cricket Pakistan.
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Moin added: "Azam wasn't given a chance to keep wickets after one match and was dropped after getting out on the very first ball [against USA]," Moin said. "Any player can get out on the first ball, but here the tradition of developing players that used to exist is no longer there. Whether it's the captain or the management, if they make such quick changes to players, how can we produce good players?"
Moin criticises Ramiz Raja
He then went on to criticise former chief selector Ramiz Raja for Azam’s snub from the 2021 T20 World Cup: "In the 2022 [2021] World Cup, Azam was also selected for the team, but Ramiz Raja dropped him.
"At that time, if the chief selector had made a wrong selection, he should have been removed, but they didn't have the courage, and as a result, they demoralized a young player. In this World Cup as well, you can see how he was played."
Azam has also been subject to criticism for his fitness. While Moin agreed to some of it, he revealed that his son has been sweating it out to improve in that area.
"I'm not saying that all the blame lies with the team management and the captain; Azam has his own shortcomings too. He needs to make himself physically and mentally stronger, and follow the fitness routines of other sportsmen.
"For the past month or so, I've noticed he's been working hard to improve his fitness with his trainer Shehzar Mohammad, even taking him along to the Caribbean [Premier] League. I hope Azam has learned a lot from this experience," Moin concluded.
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