Image Credit- PSL
Azam Khan, the wicketkeeper-battler for Pakistan, has sustained a grade one tear in his right calf muscle, ruling him out of the current five-match Twenty20 International series against New Zealand. Ten days of rest were recommended for Azam after radiological results verified the injury.
As stated in a PCB release, Azam will now report to the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, where he will “commence his rehabilitation process under the supervision of the PCB medical panel” after departing from the Pakistan team. The statement also stated that Azam’s first training session prior to Thursday’s opening Twenty20 International, which was lost after just two balls, was when the issue was initially identified.
Azam has appeared in eight Twenty20 Internationals so far; the most recent match took place in January and involved New Zealand. However, despite having a strong hitting reputation, Azam has only scored 29 runs in seven innings, with the highest score being ten. For instance, in the most recent PSL, Azam scored just 226 runs for Islamabad United in ten innings, but with a high strike rate of 171. The event was won by United.
Due to his reputation and his performance in the most recent CPL, where he amassed 224 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 155.55 for the Guyana Amazon Warriors, the champion team, he is a strong contender to be included in Pakistan’s squad for the T20 World Cup, which will be held in the Caribbean and the United States in June. Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim, two players with CPL experience who were previously out of the picture, are back in the mix for Pakistan.
Pakistan will play seven more matches before the World Cup, three in Ireland and four in England, following the conclusion of their series against New Zealand on April 27.