Misbah-ul-Haq wants Azam Khan to counter criticism citing Virat Kohli's example

| 2025-01-16 01:25:15

The 25-year-old has been under heavy criticism due to his performance lately

Misbah-ul-Haq (L) and Azam Khan (R). - PCB/AFP

Former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq suggested wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan to counter criticism and get mentally stronger.

The 25-year-old has been under heavy criticism due to his performance lately as well as his fitness.

While talking on a local sports channel, Misbah said Azam has given up on the discipline he had in the past.

"There was a time when he reduced his weight, did training and delivered performances. Nowadays, I have observed that the discipline he had in the past has been given up and I can see that he has increased his body weight. So, he also needs to think about it," Misbah said.

Meanwhile, he advised Azam to accept criticism from every corner since players like Virat Kohli also often get criticised.

"If there are no performances, criticism will come and even a player like Virat Kohli gets criticised. He needs to get mentally stronger and criticism will come but he should just stay focused for the longer run," he added.

Remember, Azam saw himself under fire and first restricted comments on his posts and then deleted all of the posts from his Instagram handle on June 3.

Azam’s record in T20I cricket has been poor with just 88 runs in 12 innings at an average of just 9.78 and Latif declared that the trolling is affecting his game.

Pakistan are with USA, India, Ireland and Canada in Group A of the tournament and it is to be seen if Azam will make the final cut to the Playing XI for Pakistan’s first match in the tournament tonight against the USA.

Pakistan’s squad for T20 World Cup 2024:

Babar Azam (c), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan (wk), Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.