22-year-old Azam Khan, who is also the son of former Pakistan captain Moin Khan, has been ridiculed often for his weight, given his heavyset look, and is constantly been mocked for being overweight which may hamper his performance in the long run.
But when it comes to his skills, there is no doubt that the 22-year-old can grind any opposition with his bat. A look at his PSL performance only vouches for what former Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf says.
Yousuf said that Azam needs to play his shots in a restrained manner and needs to curb his temperament, and the best example of doing this in front of the young gun is none other than India captain Virat Kohli.
“He’s young and has just played one season of First-Class cricket. He’s an excited and emotional player who likes to hit sixes. He plays amazing cover drives and on drives but has this sudden urge of hitting sixes. One, he’s playing more T20s leagues, and second, sixes are liked a lot more. But the amount of hard work he has shown in his hard work and in batting deserves a praise,” Yousuf said in an interview to Cricket Pakistan.
Sachin Tendulkar opens up on the prank with Virat Kohli in his debut series by Yuvraj Singh and Co
He also added that the Azam needs to curb his temperament as he often goes for the big shots. Yousuf has been named the batting coach for PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board)’s National High-Performance Center (NHPC).
He recently worked with PSL franchise Quetta Gladiators’ batsman Azam Khan and added that fitness in the current Pakistan cricket team has improved manifolds. He also said that Azam should learn from Virat Kohli how to pace his innings.
“Our main aim was to reduce his weight. When he comes next, we will work on his batting as well. Sixes are important, but only when the time and moment is correct. If the scoreboard is ticking, there’s no need. Look at these big players, that’s how these guys play – Kohli, Williamson, Babar and Rohit,” Yousuf added.