Azam Khan's maiden call-up sparks controversy as fans rake up nepotism debate

Son of former wicketkeeper-batter Moin Khan, Azam Khan's domestic record, which is not too impressive, is what many have questioned

By Padmaja Srivatsan

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Azam Khan
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Azam Khan. (Photo Source: Abu Dhabi T10)

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials recently announced squads for the tour to England and West Indies. While the squad selected for the tour is a well-rounded one when it comes to bowling and batting depth, one name caught everyone off-guard was that of Azam Khan.

The 22-year-old has of late been the talk of the town in Pakistan. He caught everyone’s attention in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) while playing for the Quetta Gladiators. He has the ability to give the ball a real whack and his impressive strike rate has made the management include him in the T20I squad.

Son of former wicketkeeper-batter Moin Khan, Azam Khan’s domestic record, which is not too impressive, is what many have questioned. He has so far played just one First-Class match in which he got a half-century. Apart from that, he has just made 239 runs in 15 List A matches at an average of 29.89, and his T20 stats, too, are decent but not jaw-dropping (743 runs in 36 matches).

Apart from the numbers, many have also questioned his fitness as he is over 100 kilograms, despite losing weight heavily recently. Due to all these factors, many suggest that Khan has been selected only because his father is a former player. Even Former Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Amir had pointed out a few days back about how players are not being selected on their domestic performances.

Azam Khan looking ahead to fulfilling the potential of a hard-hitting batter

In a recent interview, Mohammad Yousuf spoke about Azam Khan highly and stated that he is a bright prospect but he needs to control his aggressive instincts a bit. Yousuf also asked the young batter to learn and evolve by seeing the likes of Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson.

Some questions though remained still unanswered about his selection ahead of Pakistan’s tour to England and West Indies. Before the two important series, Azam Khan has PSL  2021 to look forward to as a chance to give good performances as that might not only guarantee him a spot in the playing XI during the England and West Indies series, but also in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup squad of the team.

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