Ex-Pakistan wicketkeeper Moin Khan blames former PCB chief Ramiz Raja for ‘demoralising’ son Azam

Legendary Pakistani wicketkeeper Moin Khan slammed former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja for demoralising his son Azam and curtaining his development as a player in the process.

Azam, also a wicketkeeper-batter like his father, has faced criticism of late, both for his poor run with the bat as well as for his lack of physical fitness.

The 26-year-old benched after just one appearance in Pakistan’s disastrous T20 World Cup campaign , in which he was dismissed for a golden duck in the former T20 world champions’ shock defeat against co-hosts USA .

And in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League (CPL) where he represents Guyana Amazon Warriors, Azam has been dismissed for a single-digit score in each of his three appearances so far this season.

He has also been criticised for being overweight consistently ever since he rose up the ranks in Pakistani domestic cricket as well as in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), which has affected his ability to run between the wickets as well as keeping it.

Moin however, felt some of the decisions made by former Pakistan captain Raja during his tenure as PCB chief have led to Azam’s stunted growth as a cricketer, including dropping him from Pakistan’s squad for the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022.

“In the 2022 (2021) World Cup, Azam was also selected for the team, but Ramiz Raja dropped him. At that time, if the chief selector had made a wrong selection, he should have been removed, but they didn’t have the courage, and as a result, they demoralized a young player. In this World Cup as well, you can see how he was played,” Moin told Cricket Pakistan.

Moin also slammed the decision to drop Azam after just one match in the T20 World Cup in the US and the Caribbean this year, in which the Men in Green suffered a humiliating first-round exit less than two years after finishing runners-up .

“I watched the entire World Cup and the matches leading up to it, and it seemed like Azam was the number one choice for wicketkeeping and batting. Then suddenly, after just one match, the entire strategy was changed. Azam wasn’t given a chance to keep wickets after one match and was dropped after getting out on the very first ball,” Moin added.

Moin, who represented Pakistan in 69 Tests and 219 ODIs between 1990 and 2004, however added that Azam has his “shortcomings” and will need to make himself “physically and mentally stronger”. He added that his son is “working hard” to improve on those fronts in the ongoing CPL.

“I’m not saying that all the blame lies with the team management and the captain; Azam has his own shortcomings too. He needs to make himself physically and mentally stronger, follow the fitness routines of other sportsmen. For the past month or so, I’ve noticed he’s been working hard to improve his fitness with his trainer Shehzar Mohammad, even taking him along to the Caribbean League,” Moin added.

Since making his debut in the 2021 tour of England, Azam has represented Pakistan in 14 T20Is, scoring 88 runs at a strike rate of 133.33. His overall T20 numbers with the bat, however, are a lot more impressive — scoring 3,253 runs in 169 appearances at a strike rate of 147.32, including an unbeaten 109 off just 58 balls while representing Khulna Tigers in the Bangladesh Premier League in January 2023.