Mahmood calls on Azam to prioritize fitness for better performance

Azhar Mahmood, who is a former all-rounder for Pakistan and currently serves as the head coach for the Islamabad United team in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), has advised Azam Khan to work on his fitness.

Azam struggled during the three-game T20I series against Afghanistan in Sharjah, scoring just one run in two innings, and his performance behind the stumps drew negative feedback as well.

“He [Azam] is a phenomenal cricketer. When he is playing well, he is a wonderful striker of the cricket ball but he needs to work on his fitness and he realises that himself,” said Mahmood.

“He is a young kid and when you are playing franchise cricket, it’s up to him how he wants to evolve as a person or as a player. As a coach I would like to see him more fit and more agile and that’s the conversation we had with him and he is very keen to work on his fitness,” he added.

Previously, Haroon Rasheed, the chief selector of Pakistan, also spoke about Azam's exclusion from the T20I team for the upcoming series against New Zealand.

“Azam Khan did not perform well in the series against Afghanistan, but mistakes happen. However, the door is open for his return if he works on his issues and improves. Many cricketers in the world have been dropped and made a comeback and played cricket for a long time,” Rasheed said.

“Currently, we have Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Haris as wicketkeeper-batters, and Azam Khan is in the pipeline,” he added.