Former Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ramiz Raja has issued a warning to young Saim Ayub and Azam Khan following their recent performances against New Zealand in the ongoing five-match T20 series. The Shaheen Afridi-led side failed to get going against the Blackcaps, losing convincingly in their first two games.
Azam Khan has struggled to create an impression with the bat, scoring 10 and 2 in his first two games against New Zealand. Saim Ayub had a strong start in the first match but was eventually run out after scoring a quick-fire 27 in 8 balls, and got dismissed for 1 run from 3 balls in the second game.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ramiz Raja highlighted that the introduction of these players’ miss-and-hit strategy is unsustainable for the team combination in the long run, and he urged Saim Ayub and Azam Khan to take advantage of the batting-friendly conditions in New Zealand.
“New players have come into the team based on their strike rates. Whether it’s Saim Ayub or Azam Khan, relying on a miss-and-hit approach is not sustainable for the entire team combination. You need to put in more effort because opportunities like these don’t come again as these are brilliant batting conditions,” Ramiz Raja added.
Azam Khan played for Islamabad United in the PSL 8 and scored 282 runs in 10 matches with an average of 40.28 and a strike rate of 161.14. Saim Ayub scored 341 runs in 12 games at an average of 28.41 and a strike rate of 165.53 playing for the Peshawar Zalmi, prompting Pakistan’s selectors to put them in contention to be part of Pakistan’s plans for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Azam Khan Is An Exciting Player, Except Him To Shine In The Future – Adam Hollioake
Pakistan’s batting coach Adam Hollioake was questioned about Azam Khan’s performance during a post-match conference following the Men in Green’s consecutive defeats. He believes Azam will thrive in the future, and that the young player has the potential to make a significant impact and backs him to come good in the upcoming games.
“Azam Khan is a destructive batter I mean unfortunately tonight he came in and he really needed to go straight away and he got out. One of those things where if it works you look great if it doesn’t work you look stupid. He’s an exciting player, a big hitter, though he hasn’t shown it in these two games. Expect him to shine in the future,” Ramiz Raja said.
Azam is a feared figure in the T20 circuit because of his ability to effortlessly knock the ball out of the park. He is seen as Mohammad Rizwan’s successor in the T20 format and was picked to the starting XI ahead of the veteran, but failed to make an impression for the side at the vital finisher position.
