Pakistan national cricket team player Aamer Jamal spoke about the toughest batsmen to bowl to in Pakistan. What caught the attention of many was that he did not mention Babar Azam or Mohammad Rizwan, who are considered to be the best batsmen in the country.
Aamer Jamal named Azam Khan as Pakistan’s toughest batsman. He cited that the batsman is very tough and whenever he has played against him, the wicket-keeper batsman has always hit him out of the park.
Azam Khan has been one of the most talented batsmen in Pakistan cricket. The batsman has been considered one of the best power hitters in league cricket as he has been playing franchise cricket across the world and has scored loads of runs.
Azam Khan has been a beast in T20 cricket as in the 166 games he has scored 3242 runs at a strike rate of around 150. Apart from this, he has also scored one century and 16 centuries in the games he has played.
Meanwhile, Aamer Jamal stated that he does not want to bowl the ball to Azam Khan as the batsman hits the ball very hard. He stressed that in white-ball cricket, bowlers have limited options and it is difficult to bowl the ball to the wicket-keeper batsman.
He also revealed how last time he told Azam Khan not to hit him directly because he might get hit in the face due to the speed of his shot. In a video posted on Cricwick’s YouTube channel, he explained:
“In Pakistan, I don’t want to bowl to Azam (Khan). The reason is that in a white ball, you only have two or three options. There are not many options. You can bowl Yorker, Slow or Bouncer.
“Whenever I bowled the ball to Azam, he hit me very hard. He hit me very fast. When I bowled the ball to him in the last match, I told him not to hit me directly because he didn’t have time to blink.”
I think Azam is under pressure – Aamer Jamal on Azam Khan
Azam Khan has not lived up to expectations in international cricket. The batsman has failed to come into his own for the Pakistan team and has received a lot of criticism for his performances.
Aamer Jamal spoke about the criticism Azam Khan is facing and said that the wicket-keeper batsman is under pressure as he is unable to start. Jamal suggested that the wicket-keeper batsman should be given confidence. He said:
“The standards of international cricket and league cricket are very different. Your confidence in the league is different when you go to the international league. Even if you have played well, when the next team faces you, they have worked with you and told you not to play here and there and that this is their strong area. You have to fight for that. You have to make your shot selection different when you go to the international league.
“I think Azam is under pressure because he didn’t have a good start, either on his debut or his comeback. Otherwise, as a player, I will never criticise Azam. I think if you want to develop a player, the process will be that if you give him a starting role in the conditions he has played in, his confidence level will go up and he will give you good performances in any conditions,” he concluded.
