'He should've been removed': Ex-PAK Player Blames Ramiz Raja For Destroying Azam Khan's Confidence

Pakistan 's wicket-keeper batsman, Azam Khan, who has been the subject of massive ridiculing on social media and has been body shamed, is dealing with self-doubt and for that former PCB chief Ramiz Raja is to be blamed, claims Moin Khan. Former Pakistan Test captain Moin Khan has said his son Azam's confidence had taken a beating because of the way he was treated over the years, and held former PCB chairman Ramiz Raja responsible for the damage done to his son's career.

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Moin Khan Blames Former PCB Chief Ramiz Raja For Demoralising Azam Khan

Moin, a former wicketkeeper-batter like his son, said that after watching all the matches Pakistan played during the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Americas, he could confidently say that his son was best suited for the role.

"I watched the entire World Cup and the matches leading up to it, and it seemed like Azam was the number one choice for wicket-keeping and batting. Then suddenly, after just one match, the entire strategy was changed," said Moin, who scored more than 6,000 international runs.

Azam faced considerable ire from fans regarding his fitness, with his golden duck against the United States team not going down well with the cricket-crazy Pakistani supporters. He was dropped in the subsequent match against India.

"Azam wasn't given a chance to keep wickets after one match and was dropped after getting out on the very first ball (against USA). Any player can get out on the first ball, but here the tradition of developing players that used to exist is no longer there. Whether it's the captain or the management, if they make such quick changes to players, how can we produce good players?" he asked.

Blaming Raja for his son's woes, Moin said that as soon as the former cricketer took over as PCB chairman, he dropped Azam from the 2021 T20 World Cup squad.

"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 demoralised a young player.

"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, and follow the fitness routines of other sportsmen."

Moin said his son was working hard to improve his fitness.

"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. I hope Azam has learned a lot from this experience," he added.

Moin expressed his strong support for Shaheen Afridi as white-ball captain.

"Shaheen Afridi has the ability to lead the team and is highly liked by the players. He is an excellent choice for captaincy in T20s. In white-ball cricket, I don't see anyone else suitable for the role. Removing him from the captaincy was unjust," opined Moin.

Moin also advocated for one captain for all formats. He also felt that conflicts among players are not unusual, and frequent changes, including changing the captain, affect team performance.

"Players may not listen to their captain if there are constant changes. If the cricket board provides full support to the captain and assures them of a long-term responsibility, the team's performance will improve," he added. 

(With inputs from PTI)