Former Pakistan captain Moin Khan has strongly criticized legendary skipper Ramiz Raja for the treatment of his son, Azam Khan. Azam, a wicketkeeper-batter, has faced body-shaming and struggled to maintain his position in the team due to poor performances. Since his debut in July 2021, Azam has only scored 88 runs in 14 T20I matches, with an average of 8.80 and a best score of 30 not out.
During the 2024 T20 World Cup, Azam scored zero in the only match he played and was subsequently dropped from the team. Moin Khan has publicly condemned the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and its then chairman, Ramiz Raja, for Azam's removal.
"I watched the entire World Cup (in 2024) 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. Whether it's the captain or the management, if they make such quick changes to players, how can we produce good players?" Moin told Cricket Pakistan.
"In the 2022 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.
During the 2024 T20 World Cup, Khan made a noteworthy observation regarding Azam's performance and treatment. He recognized that while the team management and captain were not solely accountable for Azam's situation, the player also had room for improvement. Moin recommended that Azam focus on enhancing both his physical and mental strength, and adhere to the fitness routines followed by other athletes. He highlighted that Azam has been making considerable efforts to improve his fitness levels recently.
"In this World Cup as well, you can see how he was played. 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," he added.
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