Srinagar: Former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja has lashed out at former PCB Chief Ramiz Raja for demoralising his son Azam Khan by dropping him out of World Cup 2022 squad.
Azam Khan after making his debut in 2021 has not been able to fulfill promise. He has attracted lot of criticism owing to his lack of fitness ans performance. His forgettable stint in the 2024 T20 World Cup only deepened the concerns surrounding his form; in the only match he played, Azam failed to score, getting dismissed for a duck, and was subsequently dropped from the side.
Even in ongoing CPL 2024, Azam Khan has failed to perform as per expectations.
“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,” Moin told Cricket Pakistan.
“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. Azam wasn’t given a chance to keep wickets after one match and was dropped after getting out on the very first ball,” said Moin.
Azam has “shortcomings” too
Moin, however, also insisted that Azam has to make himself “physically and mentally” stronger to continue competing at the highest level.
“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, 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 League,” said Moin.