Azam Khan eager to prove worth for Islamabad United

Young wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan is eager to prove his worth for Islamabad United in the upcoming edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

The 23-year-old joined the two-time champions in a tradeoff for the seventh edition of Pakistan’s premier T20 competition.

While talking to Cricwick, Azam revealed that he had a hard time convincing his uncle Nadeem Khan for a move to United.

“To be honest, it was very hard to convince Nadeem [Khan] uncle for the move,” he said. “But I am grateful that he let me make this move which I believe will be a great opportunity for me to showcase my talent at the highest level.”

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Talking about his role in the new franchise, Azam stated that he has been informed that he will play as a wicketkeeper-batter, something he could not do while playing for Quetta Gladiators.

“I have been informed that I will play as a keeper-batter,” he said. “I didn’t get that chance while playing for Gladiators because there is Sarfaraz [Ahmed] bhai there who is serving the franchise well for the last six years. If I can contribute in the middle-order with the bat as well as keep the wickets, I think I can contribute well for the franchise.”

Talking about his goals for the upcoming edition, the 23-year-old stated: “My main objective is to perform the best I can for United. Since the PSL will be played in Pakistan, we know that 10 runs per over is something you should always look for and therefore, my focus will be to contribute quickfire runs. I am very excited to be in the same team with the likes of Alex Hales, Paul Stirling and Asif Ali.”

He continued by saying: “While playing for Quetta, I had an added pressure of my father being the head coach but now that won’t be the case. Since it’s a new franchise for me, I will try to do the best I can.”

Azam, who is being termed as a while-ball specialist, played the full First-Class season for Southern Punjab.

While talking about that, he believed that red-ball cricket helped him in understanding different aspects of the game.

“To be honest, the idea behind playing full First-Class season was to learn as much as I can,” he said. “I was advised by my father as well that I should do that and I think I have learnt a lot. Also, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) asked me to play the full season as they are considering me for future series.”

Kamran asks PCB to prepare backup for Rizwan

Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal has asked the PCB to start preparing a backup for Mohammad Rizwan.

The 29-year-old has turned himself into one of the world’s best wicketkeeper-batter after an outstanding time in 2021 where he finished as the leading run-getter in the T20Is.

In the same year, Rizwan also led Multan Sultans to their maiden Pakistan Super League (PSL) title with a win against Peshawar Zalmi in the final in Abu Dhabi.

Kamran, who was a part of the Zalmi side who lost in the all-important encounter last year, believes that it is high time when the PCB should prepare a backup for Rizwan as there are several young wicketkeepers around in the domestic cricket.

“Rizwan should not feel any pressure from my side nor Sarfaraz’s side,” he said while talking to Cricket Pakistan. “If PCB wants to groom someone then they should pick someone like Rohail Nazir, Bismillah Khan, Hasan, and Mohammad Haris.”

Talking about the secret behind Rizwan’s success, the 40-year-old stated that the Sultans captain always believed in hard work which is now paying a dividend.

“Rizwan always believed in hard work,” said Kamran. “We have always seen his focus directed towards his own game and cricket. There was a lot of criticism against him but he has proven his worth. I believe he is now set to play for at least 8-10 years at the highest level.”

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