'He is pure T20 material' - Sarfaraz Ahmed’s two-year-old prediction about Azam Khan comes true

Sarfaraz Ahmed, who is captaining the Quetta Gladiators in the ongoing Pakistan Super League season 5 in Pakistan at the moment was proud and elevated that one of his team’s young guns came to the party when it was needed the most. It was the player who Sarfaraz had backed the most and everyone had their eyes pegged on, Azam Khan.

The 21-year-old cricketer from Sindh, Pakistan is the son of former Pakistan captain and one of the best wicketkeepers the country has ever produced, Moin Khan. The young lad was retained by the defending champions Gladiators for this season of PSL and he came was in limelight in what was only his second T20 match ever. Azam had previously made his List-A debut for Pakistan Television in the 2018–19 Quaid-e-Azam One Day Cup.

Azam Khan hit a brilliant half-century in PSL 2020

Azam Khan was picked by the Quetta Gladiators in PSL season 4 in 2019 and then Sarfaraz had refuted the allegations of Azam being picked just because he is the son of former cricketer Moin Khan.

“Azam has been performing [well] in domestic cricket and Ramazan tournaments. He is pure T20 material, for which he was picked and once he plays in the PSL I don’t think anybody will question his selection,” Sarfaraz had been quoted by tribune.com.pk back in 2017.

Well, his prediction came true, as Azam played a brilliant hand of 59 off 33, hitting five fours and three sixes in Gladiator’s match against Islamabad United in the opening bout of the latest season of the T20 League. Before him, Mohammad Hasnain picked 4/25 and Ben Cutting picked 3/31 as United was kept to 168 runs in 20 overs as only Dawid Malan made 64 while Ronchi and Faheem scored 20-odd runs.

In reply, apart from Azam, Nawaz (23) and Cutting (22*) came to the rescue, as Gladiators won the game with 3 wickets in hand in the 19^th over. The 21-year-old had manufactured a vital 62-run partnership with his captain Sarfaraz (21 off 18) to help Gladiators recover from 26 for three.

The match was played at the National Stadium in Karachi, kicking off the first-ever PSL season to be played entirely in the country itself. The first four editions were partly or wholly played in UAE, with some matches held in Pakistan.

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