Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has come to the defense of Azam Khan after the wicketkeeper faced abuse on social media following a poor series against England.
Rashid Latif said that Khan is under “immense pressure” after the series, where he got out for a duck in the final match at The Oval. Since then, Khan has turned off comments on his Instagram and deleted all his photos.
“He is under immense pressure and is being body shamed and trolled,” Latif said in an interview with the Indian Express. “Azam Khan is an outstanding T20 batsman. He hits cleanly, plays well against spinners, and has improved against pacers. However, I wouldn’t rate him as a keeper yet. It’s not about his fitness but his lack of experience. He is still very new to the international level.”
He further said, “Pakistan’s No. 1 keeper should be Mohammad Rizwan,” said Latif. “Rizwan is Pakistan’s best keeper and has been a warrior for this team. He has played in the last two T20I World Cups and was exceptional,
“I will not blame the player. Mohammad Haris is fit, more agile, and in good form. If you wanted a third keeper, he should have been the ideal choice. I won’t comment on Azam’s physique, but I can talk about his batting, form, keeping, and selection. We live in a society that often judges people based on appearance. If someone’s skin is dark, we call them ‘kaalu.’ If someone is fair, we call them ‘gora.’ A tall person is called ‘lambu,’ and a skinny person ‘patlu.’ I feel bad for Azam; he’s only 25 and doesn’t deserve this. He said that this body shaming should be stopped.