Pakistan's young wicketkeeper batsman Azam Khan is getting a lot of opportunities to play for Pakistan but he has not been able to perform well. Former cricketer Shahid Afridi has launched a scathing attack on Azam's poor performance. He has questioned Azam's place in the team. He has said that Azam should be dropped from the team. Let us tell you that despite consistently performing poorly, Azam has got a place in the team selected for the T20 World Cup starting next month.

Shahid Afridi said, “Fitness is the main thing. If you are fit, your body language reflects it on the field, whether it is while batting, bowling or fielding. You cannot compromise on fitness. As far as fitness is concerned, I will never allow Azam Khan to be anywhere near the team. In England, the ball is taken behind the stumps (while keeping).”

He further said, “When he goes to West Indies, the ball will not move much there, it will stay low. I hope he will not have to struggle, but with this fitness, I am worried about his keeping against spinners in West Indies conditions, because the ball stays low there and you also have to keep your body low.” Azam is an aggressive batsman, but his fitness has always been a topic of discussion since making his debut for Pakistan.

Right-handed wicketkeeper batsman Azam has played 12 matches for Pakistan so far and has scored 88 runs at a strike rate of 146.66. At the same time, his highest score has been 30 not out. He was recently able to score 11 runs off only 10 balls in the second match of the 4-match T20 International series against England. At the same time, Pakistan lost this match by 23 runs. England and Pakistan will play the third T20 International match of the series on 28 May in Cardiff, followed by the fourth and final game on 30 May at The Oval. After this, both the teams will leave for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 to be played in USA and West Indies. Pakistan will play its first match in the World Cup against USA on 6 June.

Pakistan Squad for T20 World Cup 2024: Babar Azam (captain), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.