‘His fitness is always going to be under the scanner’: Salman Butt’s blunt take on Pakistan’s Azam Khan – Times of India

NEW DELHI: After Pakistan’s seven-wicket loss to England in the fourth T20I match, former cricketer Salman Butt advised wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan to improve his fitness, warning that it will be “very difficult” for him to continue playing otherwise.

Azam had a poor performance in the fourth T20I, getting dismissed for a five-ball duck in the 11th over by Mark Wood.

Speaking on his official YouTube channel, Butt noted that Azam’s eyes were closed when he was dismissed by Wood, and emphasized that Azam’s fitness will always be under scrutiny.

“People are going to speak about him. The way he got out today, his eyes were closed while facing the short ball, and then his wicketkeeping. His fitness is always going to be under the scanner. I think he has to decide on his career. He should work on his fitness, otherwise, it is going to be very difficult for him to play,” Butt said.

Butt added that the Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter invites criticism due to his fitness levels.

“Everything related to Azam Khan will be criticized whenever he doesn’t perform. This is because what he presents is open to criticism. He invites criticism with the kind of fitness he carries. He had problems against the short ball,” he added.

Recapping the match, the hosts won the toss and decided to field first. The England bowlers faced some aggressive batting from the opening pair of skipper Babar Azam (36 off 22 balls, with five fours and a six) and Mohammed Rizwan (23 off 16 balls, with three fours).

However, spinners Adil Rashid (2/27) and Moeen Ali (1/23) applied pressure, reducing Pakistan to 86/5. A brief fightback from Usman Khan (38 off 21 balls, with three fours and two sixes) and Iftikhar Ahmed (21 off 18 balls, with two fours) helped Pakistan reach 157/10 in 19.5 overs.

In addition to Rashid and Moeen, Mark Wood (2/35) and Liam Livingstone (2/17) also performed well with the ball.

Chasing 158 runs, England dominated with a powerplay assault by Phil Salt (45 off 24 balls, with six fours and two sixes) and skipper Jos Buttler (39 off 24 balls, with seven fours and a six), making 78 runs in the powerplay.

A brief comeback spell from pacer Haris Rauf (3/38) delayed England’s victory. However, Jonny Bairstow (28* off 16 balls, with a four and three sixes) and Harry Brook (17* off 14 balls, with a four and a six) finished the match in 15.3 overs, with seven wickets remaining.

Adil Rashid was awarded the ‘Player of the Match’ for his outstanding spell.

(With ANI inputs)