Moin Khan Slams Pakistan Selectors Over Azam Khan's Selection

Former Pakistan captain Moin Khan has expressed concern over the treatment of his son, Azam Khan, by the Pakistan selectors and team management, stating that their inconsistent decisions have negatively impacted Azam’s confidence. Moin believes Azam was not given a fair chance to establish himself in the national side.

Referring to the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA earlier this year, where Azam made his most recent appearance for Pakistan, Moin pointed out how his son was dropped after just one match. In Pakistan’s opening game, a Super-Over loss to the USA, Azam, playing as the wicketkeeper-batter, was dismissed for a first-ball duck. Following this, he was replaced by Mohammad Rizwan, who had initially played as a specialist batter, but resumed wicket keeping duties for the rest of the tournament.

Pakistan’s campaign ended in disappointment as they failed to progress beyond the group stage, winning only two games and losing to the USA and India. Moin questioned the logic behind dropping Azam after just one failure.

Azam Khan’s Physical and Mental Fitness Issues Addressed

“Azam wasn’t given a second chance after being dismissed on the first ball. Any player can get out like that, but what happened to the tradition of developing players? If the captain and management make such quick decisions, how will we produce good players?” Moin asked.

Azam Khan has often faced criticism over his fitness throughout his career. While Moin acknowledges some of the criticism, he emphasized that Azam has been working hard to improve in that area.

“I’m not blaming the team management and captain entirely—Azam has his own shortcomings,” Moin said. “He needs to be stronger physically and mentally and follow the fitness standards of other athletes.”

Moin noted that Azam has been making significant efforts to improve his fitness. “For the past month, I’ve seen him work hard with his trainer, Shehzar Mohammad. He even took him along to the Caribbean Premier League. I hope this experience has taught him a lot,” he added.

Moin also mentioned his disappointment with the Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision to remove Shaheen Shah Afridi from the T20I captaincy, calling it “unjust,” and felt that such decisions could hurt the confidence of talented players like Shaheen and Azam, who need proper backing to thrive.