India defeated Pakistan in the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2024 on Sunday, strengthening their chances of qualifying for the Super 8s. India had a strong start to their campaign with a convincing 8-wicket win against Ireland. India then beat Pakistan by 6 runs to go on the top of the Group A table. In contrast, Pakistan experienced one of the tournament's biggest upsets, losing to the United States last Thursday and then going down against their arch-rivals India despite being in the driver's seat for most part of the match.  

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Wasim Akram lambasts Azam Khan's selection

The Pakistan cricket team is facing a lot of criticism from fans and experts alike after their crushing defeat at the hands of India in New York on Sunday. Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram is among those who slammed the Babar Azam-led side for their poor performance at the Nassau County International Stadium.     

A major disappointment for Pakistan in their match against the USA was Azam Khan, the wicketkeeper-batter, who was dismissed for a first-ball duck. Adding to the woes, Azam did not keep wickets, with Mohammad Rizwan taking on that role, and he did not field for a significant part of the game either. Azam Khan was subsequently dropped from the playing XI for the match against India. 

Azam Khan faced heavy criticism on social media for his poor performance, and former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram discussed Azam's outing against the USA. Wasim Akram remarked that Azam is not doing himself any favors and expressed his confusion over some of the team management's decisions.

"Babar needed a power hitter. Azam... he's my friend's (Moin Khan) son. He grew up in front of me, but he's not helping his cause. During our times, you could've probably gone off the radar. There was no social media. You just cannot hide. When we played against the USA, you didn't play him as a wicketkeeper. He didn't field for 8 overs. He played as a pinch-hitter, but he couldn't come with Fakhar because he sat out for 8 overs. I just couldn't understand that," Wasim Akram said. 

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Azam Khan was picked to play for the Pakistan team in 2021 and has since featured in 14 T20I games. Azam, however, has failed to live up to the expectations, scoring just 88 runs at an average of 8 and strike rate of 133.33.