Former Pakistan Test cricketer Rashid Latif came out in support of young wicketkeeper batter Azam Khan, who has been under criticism for his below-par performances. Azam, who has been a regular part of the Pakistan team since the away T20I series against Ireland, has been struggling to make an impact both with the bat and behind the wickets. His series of poor performances drew severe criticism from fans and also from notable former cricketers. As a result, Azam Khan deleted all of his Instagram posts on June 3. Meanwhile, coming to his aid, Rashid Latif stated that the young wicketkeeper does not deserve to be treated this way. “He is under immense pressure. He is being body-shamed, is being trolled. Azam is an exceptional batsman in T20s,” said Rashid. “He is a clean hitter, plays spinners well, has worked on his game against the pacers.

I feel bad for the kid, he is only 25. He doesn’t deserve to be trolled like this,” he added. Azam Khan, who made his T20I debut for Pakistan in 2021, has only managed just 88 runs in 12 innings at an average of just 9.78 with the best score of 30 not out which came against the second T20I against Ireland last month. Earlier this month, Rashid Latif advised Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam to assign Mohammad Rizwan with gloves behind the stump instead of Azam Khan. “One of the biggest issues being faced by Pakistan is the Azam Khan’s wicketkeeping. The team has two wicketkeepers, Usman Khan and Muhammad Rizwan. Babar Azam should go with Mohammad Rizwan for the wicket-keeping slot as he is the most senior,” Rashid Latif said after Pakistan’s defeat against England in the T20I series.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan