NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan captain
Rashid Latif
has back under-fire ‘keeper-batter
Azam Khan
amid his torrid run with the bat and the gloves.
The heavyset Azam, who is son of former Pakistan wicketkeeper Moin Khan has been subjected to brutal online trolling in the recent times over his weight.
The power-hitter has been going through a lean patch with the bat and to go with that, his keeping skills and poor fielding have resulted in him being body shamed.
Words like gainda, aloo, sifarshi, parchi, mota, nepotism, baby elephant, have been used in reference to Azam and amid the intense body-shaming, Rashid Latif has come out in support of the 25-year-old.
"He is under immense pressure. He is being body shamed, is being trolled. Azam is an exceptional batsman in T20s. He is a clean hitter, plays spinners well, and has worked on his game against the pacers. But I will not rate him as a keeper. It has nothing to do with his fitness, but because he doesn’t have that experience. He is still very new and raw to international level," Latif told The Indian Express.
"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 will not comment on Azam’s physique, I can comment on his batting, his form, his keeping, his selection.
"We live in a racist society. If someone’s skin colour is black, we call them kaalu. If someone is fair, we call them gora. If someone is tall he is a lambu, if someone is skinny he is a patlu. I feel bad for the kid, he is only 25. He doesn’t deserve to be trolled like this," Latif added.
In the last 10 international matches, Azam has scored -- 0, 11, 18*, 30*, 0, 30, 22, 18, 0 and 9.
The youngster has also dropped quite a few catches behind the stumps, representing Pakistan recently.
Pakistan lost the 4-game T20I series against England 2-0 before the
T20 World Cup
.
Babar Azam and Co. play their first T20 World Cup game against the United States on June 6 in Dallas.
English (US) ·