Ramiz Raja, the former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has been severely accused by the ex-Pakistani cricketer Moin Khan of demotivating his son Azam Khan.
According to the 52-year-old former Pakistan batsman, Azam was excluded from the national team’s squad during the T20 World Cup in 2021 and 2022. He believes that PCB’s decision interfered with Azam Khan’s best abilities, which is the main cause of his confidence and performance dropping.
Being the son of a famous legendary cricketer, Azam Khan initially rose to fame as a power-hitting finisher. Similar to his father, Azam is also a batter-wicketkeeper but faced huge criticism due to his poor form in terms of batting. Mainly, the 26-year-old’s bulky appearance raised severe questions about his low level of physical fitness. This is one of the main reasons why his career never rose to the heights he might have expected.
Azam wasn’t able to make use of the opportunity during Pakistan’s first match in T20 World Cup 2024 against the USA as he was dismissed for a golden duck. Thereafter, he was sidelined from the squad for the remaining three matches in the league stages before facing an elimination from the competition.
Azam Khan’s International Cricketing Career
Since Azam’s debut in international cricket against England on 16th July 2021, he played only 14 T20I matches. Out of which, Moin Khan’s son scored only 88 runs in 13 innings at an average of 8.88 and strike rate of 133.33, with his highest score having been just 30 runs.
Moin Khan Blasts PCB’s Mistreatment against Azam Khan: A Pattern of Injustice
Moin Khan points out PCB’s pattern of demoralizing a player by expressing the concern that his son has been intentionally omitted from crucial matches and tournaments. He accuses Ramiz Raja of removing him from the T20 World Cup 2022 squad. Here is what Azam’s father said:
“ See! Azam was selected for the national team during the T20 World Cup 2022. But, Ramiz Raja sidelined him. The chief selector at that time made a wrong selection, and he should have been removed. Rather, they (PCB) didn’t dare to do so and mistreated a young talented cricketer,” Moin Khan said.
Furthermore, Moin Khan blasts the Pakistan team for dropping Azam Khan after one game in the T20 World Cup 2024. He says that his son was the main choice for the wicketkeeping role, but after a golden duck against the USA, the team changed its plans:
“YES! He (Azam Khan) was selected as the first option as a wicketkeeper and batter. Just after one match, the team changed its strategy. Azam didn’t get a chance behind the stumps and was dropped from the playing XI after getting out on the first ball. If the captain or management makes instant changes to players, then how can we develop good players?” Moin Khan explained.
Moin Khan About Azam Khan’s Fitness
Finally, Moin Khan opens up about Azam Khan’s fitness. He accepts the fact that Azam should work on his physical fitness and mental strength to avoid facing such situations in the future:
“Exactly! All the blame isn’t with the captain and team management. I am aware that Azam has his imperfections too. He should make himself physically and mentally fit by following the fitness routines of other professional sportsmen.
Over the past few months, I’ve observed him working tirelessly to develop his fitness levels. He has been following the guidance of his trainer Shehzar Mohammad. He even brought his trainer along to the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). I believe that Azam would have learned a lot from this incident,” Moin clarified.
PCB to Increase Strictness on Fitness Rule: Overall Facts
As PCB is planning to implement strict fitness guidelines, Azam Khan’s future with the Pakistan cricket team seems to be in threat. The latest reports indicate that the PCB is preparing to re-launch the Yo-Yo tests to keep track of its players’ fitness levels. The test will be performed in various stages and the ones failing to qualify will be dropped from the national and regional level matches. Meanwhile, Azam Khan is currently representing his team Guyana Amazon Warriors in the ongoing CPL 2024, but he might undergo tests at a later date.
Moin Khan feels that the PCB should be strong in its decision-making and stressed the importance of fairness in the selection process. As the debate about Azam’s mistreatment goes on, the entire cricketing world is waiting to observe how the PCB responds to Moin’s accusations. It is understood that the future of the 26-year-old cricketer is uncertain, and the outcome will have long-term consequences for Pakistan cricket.
