Mohammad Hafeez has reignited the debate surrounding Azam Khan’s fitness.©AFP
Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez has reignited the debate surrounding Azam Khan’s fitness amid the wicketkeeper-batsman’s poor form in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Azam has been criticized for his fitness and form, with the youngster failing to justify his call-up to the team of the tournament. During a recent interaction on PTV Sports, Hafeez shared an interesting anecdote about Azam’s fitness regime. Hafeez revealed that during his time as Pakistan’s Director of Cricket, Azam was given a six-week fitness program.
However, Hafeez did not change anything about the player, while his stamina also decreased.
“When Azam Khan enters a training program, six weeks later he is the same weight he started with. His fat levels are the same. The entire Pakistan team can cover two kilometers in 10 minutes, while Azam Khan will take 20 minutes to cover the distance,” Hafeez said on PTV Sports.
Hafeez also questioned Azam’s professionalism and dedication while representing Pakistan, adding that he has already been given a lot of time to improve his fitness.
“Being thin or big is never a problem for me, but you need to work according to the needs of the game. You need to take your fitness to the required level. We gave him a fitness plan, but he [Azam] It couldn’t get any better. You are in the team because of your talent, but you need to respond in case of fitness. You are the only one in the team we have compromised for fitness reasons,” he added.
Azam has received strong criticism from former players. He was also dropped from the squad for the game against India and Canada.
In 13 T20I matches, Azam Khan has an average of 8.80 with a strike rate of 133.33 and his highest score is 30 not out.
Topics mentioned in this article
This story originally appeared on ndtv.com read the full story
