Former director of Pakistan cricket team Mohammad Hafeez revealed new details about batter Azam Khan’s fitness issues after he was benched during the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.
Fans and several cricket experts had questioned Khan’s inclusion in the Men in Green squad for the marquee event as several pointed out his fitness issues along with his poor performance in England and Ireland T20 series.
Now, Mohammad Hafeez slammed the wicket-keeping batter for not working on his fitness.
Recalling his experience with Azam Khan, the former Pakistan captain said that Khan was given a 6-week programme to improve his fitness during his stint as the team director.
“He appeared without any progress in body weight or body fat levels. His running ability was also significantly behind the rest of the team. While the rest of the team could run 2km in 10 minutes, Azam took 20 minutes,” he said.
Read more: Hafeez blames three players for Pakistan’s dismal World Cup campaign
According to Hafeez, the batter had no explanation when he was confronted about his fitness issues.
“To me, that is unprofessional. We gave him a chance, but I feel he is not mentally ready for international cricket,” he said.
It is pertinent to mention that Azam Khan was dismissed for a golden duck in Pakistan’s opening game at the T20 World Cup 2024 against the United States of America.
In the same match, he was sacked off his role as the wicket-keeper and was later rested for Pakistan’s two games in the event.
Khan, the son of former cricketer Moin Khan, has represented Pakistan in 14 games. Out of the 13 innigs he played; the batter has been dismissed on a duck on four occasions.
Pakistan team is set to take on Ireland on June 16 and will need to defeat them to stay alive in the tournament.
They are ranked the third in Group A with one win out of their three games.
