[PICTURES] Would Azam Khan be a better cricketer if he lost weight?

[MenInG]

There is no denying that the inning he played against Quetta in Match 13 of PSL 8 will go down as epic in the history of this tournament.

He has the shots but what if he could control his weight? Could he then represent Pakistan in ODIs and T20Is as well?

Could he not enhance his potential further by improving his physical fitness?

 

[DRsohail]

yes

 

[Plumb]

NOOOOOO and NOOO an NOO, he plays his shots with natural ability on this current weight, he loses the weight and all goes down the drain. With his current weight he seem to be keeping with great reflexes. In the past we had lazy fielders but great hitters... one example comes to mind is Razzaq.

I wouldn't recommend him to do anything except hard work. Azam needs to be in the team as a finisher

 

[Savak]

Someone has put it in his head that if he loses all that bulk, weight, he will lose strength. He has developed the mindset that the sixes and fours he hits compensates for his slowness in running between the wickets and in the outfield

 

[GLORY OF '92]

No. This weight obsession needs to end. Brook isn't the slimmest or Sehwag.

All that matters is performance.

 

[CricketAnalyst]

Someone has put it in his head that if he loses all that bulk, weight, he will lose strength. He has developed the mindset that the sixes and fours he hits compensates for his slowness in running between the wickets and in the outfield

You feel this kind of performance doesn't compensate for slow running between the wickets?

 

[SamNJ]

He transfers the weight into shots.

 

[badsha001]

No need to focus on losing weight. Just focus on working hard and improving on the weaknesses (just the batting and fielding) and everything else will align itself.

 

[Savak]

You feel this kind of performance doesn't compensate for slow running between the wickets?

Would a captain like Virat Kohli accept Azam Khan in his team? I believe he refused to pick an Indian player Sarfaraz Khan unless he lost his bulk.

 

[topspin]

Yes. He needs to build muscle instead of fat. That way he can hit the ball even further and actually be able to run between the wickets. Also, it will allow him to be a greater asset on the field.

 

[Rana]

Let him be.

If Pakistan doesn’t want him for what he is,

It’s fine. It’s their loss

Enjoy Haider Ali, Shan MAsooD and Chacha Iftikhar

 

[topspin]

Yes. He needs to build muscle instead of fat. That way he can hit the ball even further and actually be able to run between the wickets. Also, it will allow him to be a greater asset on the field.

Most importantly though it's for his health.

 

[MenInG]

Let him be.

If Pakistan doesn’t want him for what he is,

It’s fine. It’s their loss

Enjoy Haider Ali, Shan MAsooD and Chacha Iftikhar

Yes let him walk into a pressure cooker situation and get run out because he can't run fast.

Fact is he will not play this innings in every game.

If people are really interested in having a proper player then they should demand he improve his fitness.

 

[Major]

To answer this question, you have to go back to the World T20 2022.

We lost two games at the MCG. The match against India and the Final. The reason why we lose that match was because of the nature of MCG. Being a big ground, you cant score runs at MCG by hitting boundaries, you win there by taking doubles and even tripples. Rotation of strike matters. Iftikhar played well because of this. Shan Masood played a great innings in the final and was the only guy that was scoring runs. Why? Because he knew that at the MCG you need to rotate strike, you cant get away with hitting boundaries there.

Pakistans batting collapsed at the MCG in the final and England won the game easily. Had Pakistan rotated the strike, and they had the players to do so, they would had won. Pakistan needed a proper coach and a stats guy to tell this to them.

Azam Khans weight is an issue. A very big issue. International t20 matches are not played on small boundaries. Proper boundaries are there and you need to have a plan b. The reason why Asif Ali has failed at international level is because Asif Ali can only hit, he cant rotate strike. If 5 were needed off 10, Asif can only hit it and not rotate strike for it.

Azam Khan cant rotate strike, the ball being hit at the fielder at the boundary rope and you see Azam taking a single. He cant run for a second run back. He is always going to be slow. He cant rotate strike and a player who cant rotate strike is not good enough for international cricket. Shahid Afrid and Asif Ali are examples.

Than there is the 2nd issue, due to his weight, he cant play pace bowling on a proper wicket. A proper wicket is where the bounce is high. So take him to South Africa or Asutralia or New Zealand, he will struggle. Even in some wicket wickets of Pakistan, like at Multan, where Ihsanullah was bowling, the guy was fearing him. This is why today Quetta tried to bowl short to him, his weakness is out and known. This issue could be associated with his weight, as his timing gets abit slow when facing quick bowling on a fast wicket. In domestic t20 you can get away as there is only one bowler that might trouble you, in interantional cricket, the teams are playing their best 3-4 pacers of the country.

Third issue is where is he gonna field? Rizwan is the best keeper ever produced by Pakistan and there is no way he will be dropped as a keeper. Weak fielders are often placed at thrid man, but in t20 cricket, third man is as important as point because t20 batsmen will try to hit short balls towards thirdman, and at thirdman you need fitness to move around when the ball is coming towards you. It doesnt come at one spot. He is very slow on the field aswell.


His shot hitting abilities are not doubted. He has a great stroke maker and as proven today that his shot hitting abilities are good enough. Infact he proved his worth the day he smacked Shahid Afridi for sixes and showed Afridi his days were over.

He can be selected for international cricket, but he cannot be played on every ground or wicket. He is ideal for Sharjah, but he is just as bad for Dubai. There would be alot of issues fitting him in and than dropping him. If he performs at SHarjah and than gets dropped for Dubai, media would go crazy and put pressure.

So yes, his weight is an issue. And all these issues discussed above would be sorted if he loss weight. Cricket is an athletes sport not a game. Afridi was spot on that if he doesnt perform, the first thing that people will blame him for is his fitness. If he doesnt want his fitness to become an excuse for dropping him than he needs to slim up.

However if Azam thinks that his weight gives him strength, than good enough. He can become a freelance cricketer and earn a good career and more money than our international players

 

[Rana]

Yes let him walk into a pressure cooker situation and get run out because he can't run fast.

Fact is he will not play this innings in every game.

If people are really interested in having a proper player then they should demand he improve his fitness.

Marzi hai aapki

Pakistan need him. He doesn’t need Pakistan

 

[ArabKnight]

Yes let him walk into a pressure cooker situation and get run out because he can't run fast.

Fact is he will not play this innings in every game.

If people are really interested in having a proper player then they should demand he improve his fitness.

If this man is opening, there will be no pressure situation. If anything, we would be ahead of parity on the scoreboard. Opening batting slot must not be underestimated and it should be seriously considered who is occupying it.

 

[MenInG]

If this man is opening, there will be no pressure situation. If anything, we would be ahead of parity on the scoreboard. Opening batting slot must not be underestimated and it should be seriously considered who is occupying it.

He will not play this innings in every game.

 

[MenInG]

Marzi hai aapki

Pakistan need him. He doesn’t need Pakistan

What is that supposed to mean? He is nothing without Pakistan.

 

[Concerned]

If he’s not keeping in the side where would he field?

 

[Rana]

What is that supposed to mean? He is nothing without Pakistan.

It means Pakistan need to wake up and take him. Baqi aap sab ki marzi

 

[Zaz]

What is that supposed to mean? He is nothing without Pakistan.

He wont be a regular intnl cricketer for pakistan looking like that

Youve got to be agile, a good ground fielder, athletic, be able to dive n get up, run back to back 2s and 3s, chase the ball quickly to the boundary, play long innings

Azam cant do that by being borderline obese

 

[GLORY OF '92]

It means Pakistan need to wake up and take him. Baqi aap sab ki marzi

Yeah I think we deserve Babar, Rizwan etc. Fans are too blind to back proper players.

 

[Zaz]

If he’s not keeping in the side where would he field?

Theres no where to hide in the field

In a game of sometimes small margins, every boundary stopped, catch taken, extra runs pinched and saved can prove to be the difference between winning and losing

 

[Plumb]

Ironic people wants someone to run fast but doesn't care about his hitting ability which is all is needed in today's cricket..the way he is playing for last 8-10 months he can play this innings 7/10 times even if he makes 30(8) that will make huge impact on the game.

All this overweight nonsense is just for keeping him out of the team, fact is we are too scared to experiment that's why pakistan will be sitting at the bottom of the points table in world cricket and remain mediocre team. Unless we change the mindset we are going nowhere but only praise a cover drive someone plays or once in a blue moon series win.

 

[Rana]

Theres no where to hide in the field

In a game of sometimes small margins, every boundary stopped, catch taken, extra runs pinched and saved can prove to be the difference between winning and losing

What’s wrong with his keeping?

 

[MenInG]

Read the title.

Then add your comment.

Stop derailing threads.

 

[Kroll]

It's salient that you mentioned better cricketer. Of course he would be, he'd be able to run quicker between wickets, he would have better stamina etc. Granted he doesn't field, but being that bit more agile will help with his wicketkeeping too.

He's still relatively young, but being this over weight will catch up with him eventually. He'd be okay he was a sumo wrestler but his chosen profession is cricket and he should at least have some fitness standards.

 

[gibsyhesperis]

Only Pakistan fans would revel in the exploits of an obese player, however "talented" they claim the player might be.

Professional outfits have an expectation of the levels of fitness they expect from their players -- examples being Samit Patel being dropped by England when he didn't make they fitness requirements (even though he was performing reasonably at the time as a player).
Kohli talked about this recently, how he modelled his desire for peak fitness on Djokovic and how his expectation as captain was that other players would follow suit.

Professional sport demands peak fitness.
Look at golf -- all the players now work out endlessly (since Tiger) -- the days of fat slobs like John Daly have gone even in golf.

 

[Rana]

Only Pakistan fans would revel in the exploits of an obese player, however "talented" they claim the player might be.

Professional outfits have an expectation of the levels of fitness they expect from their players -- examples being Samit Patel being dropped by England when he didn't make they fitness requirements (even though he was performing reasonably at the time as a player).
Kohli talked about this recently, how he modelled his desire for peak fitness on Djokovic and how his expectation as captain was that other players would follow suit.

Professional sport demands peak fitness.
Look at golf -- all the players now work out endlessly (since Tiger) -- the days of fat slobs like John Daly have gone even in golf.

Azam Khan had been landing gigs all around the world for his T20 exploits by ‘professional outfits’.

It’s a see ball. Hit ball game

He sees, and boy he hits hard

 

[MenInG]

Azam Khan had been landing gigs all around the world for his T20 exploits by ‘professional outfits’.

It’s a see ball. Hit ball game

He sees, and boy he hits hard

Let's not get carried away by "T20 leagues around the world" thing.

Sohail Tanvir played forever in all sorts of leagues - Doesn't mean anything.

 

[Zaz]

Ironic people wants someone to run fast but doesn't care about his hitting ability which is all is needed in today's cricket..the way he is playing for last 8-10 months he can play this innings 7/10 times even if he makes 30(8) that will make huge impact on the game.

All this overweight nonsense is just for keeping him out of the team, fact is we are too scared to experiment that's why pakistan will be sitting at the bottom of the points table in world cricket and remain mediocre team. Unless we change the mindset we are going nowhere but only praise a cover drive someone plays or once in a blue moon series win.

Whic points table is pakistan bottom of?

What makes you think he can replicate anywhere near this form 7 innings out of 10? Intnl cricket isnt backyard cricket

Every weakness no matter how small will get exploited

Look at asif ali who looks a million dollars whilst playing psl and bats like a taolender for pakistan

Your correct about changing the mindset And that also means not getting in someone whos physically overweight in the team

Azam needs to get serious if he wants to play for pakistan because theres plenty of others fighting too for the same spot

 

[Rana]

Let's not get carried away by "T20 leagues around the world" thing.

Sohail Tanvir played forever in all sorts of leagues - Doesn't mean anything.

The point is that he is getting hired by professional outfits

So professionalism isn’t the issue. He was the only guy from Pakistan who was supposed to play UAE league for the glazers.

Franchise T20 scouting has advanced. He is in demand

 

[Plumb]

@Zaz
Whic points table is pakistan bottom of -- International cricket?

What makes you think he can replicate anywhere near this form 7 innings out of 10? Intnl cricket isnt backyard cricket ---We gave many chances to useless but "potential" stars why can't he get a longer rope? Just because he is overweight? and what makes you think that he will fail just because he is overweight? Ranatunga? Aravinda Desilva? different category and style but made their name by playing shots and talent

Every weakness no matter how small will get exploited --- We have many players in current team who has weakness they have bottled many games for pakistan by this logic noone will make it to the team.

Look at asif ali who looks a million dollars whilst playing psl and bats like a taolender for pakistan -- Asif was introduced as the biggest hitter of pakistan backed by many greats of pasts so that's a question for them

Your correct about changing the mindset And that also means not getting in someone whos physically overweight in the team -- even though they looks better than any fit player?(that includes playing in low level league but still its cricket)

Azam needs to get serious if he wants to play for pakistan because theres plenty of others fighting too for the same spot --- If someone born with that kind of physique you will deny entry to him based on that? what makes you think he is not serious? he must be working hard that's why he looks like a serious hitter, yes agreed psl or any other league may not match International cricket but one must agree he deserve a couple of series and then decide.

 

[ads101]

If he loses weight, he will probably be worse as his swing will be different and he won’t have the body weight to put into his shots. He won’t be used to it and will require a readjustment period. Difficult to both lose weight and focus on performance at same time.

Kind of chalk it up to another talented cricketer lost due to fitness. If he were thin when he was young, he probably would have learnt to hit well being thin. Very few cricketers make it being fat, it’s a big disadvantage at international level. If we impose better fitness standards in international, domestic and even youth we won’t keep losing talented cricketers to bad fitness and actually have them maximise their potential.

 

[Barragan]

NOOOOOO and NOOO an NOO, he plays his shots with natural ability on this current weight, he loses the weight and all goes down the drain. With his current weight he seem to be keeping with great reflexes. In the past we had lazy fielders but great hitters... one example comes to mind is Razzaq.

I wouldn't recommend him to do anything except hard work. Azam needs to be in the team as a finisher

Perfectly said.

Get him to do the basics right in the field and he is good to go.

Pak need batters, not marathon runners!

 

[Maher96]

Fact is in International cricket you can’t hide,
You don’t get easy singles, shot to third man aren’t boundaries and your pals won’t be bowling at you to pick up their lengths.


In T20 he is fine, he won’t cut it in the longer form.

Even then he’s got to be utilised properly.

If his form continues he surely will get selected as WK in T20 and Rizwan can field.

Babar is things don’t improve might be on his way out on the shortest format.

 

[Bewal Express]

No. Either you accept that he will be fat and effective or you believe his weight will make him ineffective. He is, what he is, and he should be picked if he can do a job.

 

[Zaz]

The point is that he is getting hired by professional outfits

So professionalism isn’t the issue. He was the only guy from Pakistan who was supposed to play UAE league for the glazers.

Franchise T20 scouting has advanced. He is in demand

He can stick to franchise cricket then where hes demanded

Intnl cricket is tough hard place You need to work hard to succeed have discipline and make sacrifices

Azam im afraid cant do any of the above If he could he wouldnt be overweight

 

[cricketAXEpert]

There is no denying that the inning he played against Quetta in Match 13 of PSL 8 will go down as epic in the history of this tournament.

He has the shots but what if he could control his weight? Could he then represent Pakistan in ODIs and T20Is as well?

Could he not enhance his potential further by improving his physical fitness?

That is who he is. He is a fat player. If he looses a large amount of weight, his game will suffer. His hitting prowess, his stance. As a slim player he will have to re-learn how to bat. It is same as learning how to bowl with a new action. If he can bat with consistency he should be considered as he is. just like Mohd Irfan, if you want to play a pace bowler that is over 7 feet tall you will have to make a sacrifice when it comes to his fielding.

 

[Bewal Express]

He can stick to franchise cricket then where hes demanded

Intnl cricket is tough hard place You need to work hard to succeed have discipline and make sacrifices

Azam im afraid cant do any of the above If he could he wouldnt be overweight

We are short of hitters and he can hit. If his fatness gets in the way of scoring runs, don't pick him but he can't be picked as just a batter, he will have to Keep and bat at 5 or 6

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Doesn't even matter anymore, send him to the WC.

 

[Usman Chadda]

No, lack of skill.

He has time to improve though.

 

[Rana]

No, lack of skill.

He has time to improve though.

Lack of skill? Elaborate

 

[Firebat]

No one is saying he needs to get a 6-pack, but fielding is a team game and improving your fitness so you can be more useful to the team is a sign of discipline and a desire to improve. These are core tenets of being a successful international cricketer.

Saying that somehow his hitting relies on being overweight is frankly pathetic. How many overweight finishers are there in world cricket? You can be big like Pollard and still get around the field and take catches like he does. Instead we'll have to hide this guy at third man. Clearly a talented batter still.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

He played an outstanding innings today. But I don't see how anything has changed. His fitness level is still pathetic and he will always be a liability in international cricket, no matter how you choose to spin it.

 

[Suleiman]

He needs to lose it the right way. Jamshed lost weight the wrong way and lost strength.

Unfortunately, Pakistan cricket and sport is far behind other teams in terms of nutrition and fitness. Eg Aqib Javed telling Haris Rauf to eat 20+ eggs a day..

If you just starve yourself, you will lose muscle and strength alongside fat. Can we trust PCB fitness personnel with his case? Would hand him over to a foreign coach and give him 6 months to a year to get him up to match fitness

 

[ArabKnight]

To all the haters who are ridiculing Azam Khan’s have absolutely NO idea what they are talking about!

Take this basic physics equation for instance:

P = F * d
Power (P) is the product of force (F) and velocity (d)

F = m * g
Force (F) is the product of mass (m) and gravity (g)

We can see that mass is directly related with power. Hence, Azam Khan’s weight helps hit more powerful shots. It is not a negative. Having more body weight will help you hit big sixes with less effort and less timing. He has a natural blessing—why is it hard for some to realize?

 

[moghul]

Of course he will even a better cricketer if he became fitter and he should work on that . Having said that , he has not been my favorite due to him being obese , but after his recent form and particularly today's inning , I won't mind if he is tried in national team at his current fitness level.

 

[CricketAnalyst]

Would a captain like Virat Kohli accept Azam Khan in his team? I believe he refused to pick an Indian player Sarfaraz Khan unless he lost his bulk.

Kohli isn't exactly the gold standard for captaincy.

Would you drop Inzamam-ul-Haq because you didn't like his weight profile?

Forget that, do you think he was a net negative for Pakistan cricket?

 

[CricketAnalyst]

Has anyone actually quantified, or attempted to quantify how much Azam Khan's weight is allegedly costing in the field?

It's not like I've seen any compilation of poor fielding, slow running etc. In fact, whenever I've seen him play he has seemed incredibly athletic given his size. Obviously, that will still be below average, but I don't think he's even costing 2 runs per game. And even if it does cost 2/3 runs per game, you still evaluate such a person on his performance in primary skill.

I think the main factor should be performance. If he can perform while being fat, why is it a problem? It's not a fashion show. He's there to score runs and do it quickly. Pakistan lacks in that department, and frankly he's an upgrade on Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah who have been the ones mostly used in this role.

 

[CricketAnalyst]

I still haven't forgotten the thread where Azam Khan's selection for juniors was first announced here. The anchor on TV was a very classy young lady who did an amazing job at conveying the impression that his selection was obviously corrupt while not actually saying anything critical. Most of the comments agreed that even at junior level he had no future and made it this far only due to Moin Khan.

Surely by this point his weight is just a fact and you can switch to evaluating his actual performances and if his weight is such a problem it would have reflected in his numbers?

 

[MenInG]

Azam Khan in his presser:

"My fitness has always been great," (Azam replied in a light-hearted way)

"My aim is to keep performing consistently. I rate my performances more [than fitness]. I don’t bother about negativity. As far as selection is concerned, it is the selectors’ call if they don’t want to select me. My performance is in front of everyone"

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 40%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/xyc84p" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

 

[shortbread]

To all the haters who are ridiculing Azam Khan’s have absolutely NO idea what they are talking about!

Take this basic physics equation for instance:

P = F * d
Power (P) is the product of force (F) and velocity (d)

F = m * g
Force (F) is the product of mass (m) and gravity (g)

We can see that mass is directly related with power. Hence, Azam Khan’s weight helps hit more powerful shots. It is not a negative. Having more body weight will help you hit big sixes with less effort and less timing. He has a natural blessing—why is it hard for some to realize?

Hence you flunked physics!

The ball makes impact with the bat, not Azam's tummy! It's the velocity of the bat that matters, precisely why modern bats get lighter because batsmen like to go through their shots faster. Maxwell, Buttler, ABDV don't rely on obesity for hitting the biggest 6s.

Fair play to Azam, he times his shots well and fully commits to them. But to say that's because he's overweight is stupid. Only people who'll be convinced by such theories are the likes os Umar Akmal or Nasir Jamshed!

What will the team do with him when we're bowling? Rizwan, Sarfraz keeps..... where will we hide this airship? Is it even possible to hide him? Modern batsmen will target wherever he stands knowing fully well that's an easy three.

 

[MenInG]

Azam Khan in his presser:

"My fitness has always been great," (Azam replied in a light-hearted way)

"My aim is to keep performing consistently. I rate my performances more [than fitness]. I don’t bother about negativity. As far as selection is concerned, it is the selectors’ call if they don’t want to select me. My performance is in front of everyone"

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I feel that he is not getting the issue at all. He is now talking like his backers which is worrying.

 

[Tera Gawaandi]

Can he improve his fitness if he lose weight - obviously yes.

Is he physically unfit just because he is heavy - not really.

There are some skinny fat people with no stamina and strength, and then there's fat people who are very fit and are disease free.

On one hand you have guys like Shoaib Malik who have probably high metabolism and remain fit and keep looking young. These people are blessed with abundant fast twitch muscles. Another examples is Ravinder Jadeja.

I would pick a fat player with can-do attitude, over a fit looking player with a lazy attitude any day of the week.

 

[Saj]

The only way we will tell is if or when he loses weight.

To be honest I don't see much weight loss, in fact I think he's looking heavier than he ever has.

One thing is for sure if he loses weight it will improve his fitness levels, his wicket-keeping and his stamina.

 

[Bewal Express]

The only way we will tell is if or when he loses weight.

To be honest I don't see much weight loss, in fact I think he's looking heavier than he ever has.

One thing is for sure if he loses weight it will improve his fitness levels, his wicket-keeping and his stamina.

I think he has made up his mind that this is him. Its upto the selectors to decide if his weight is such a liability that they can't pick him.

 

[gazza619]

Lack of skill? Elaborate

Common yar! You already had a bad experience supporting Asif Ali and Sharjeel.

Azam Khan is like them but in a bigger body.

 

[Rana]

Common yar! You already had a bad experience supporting Asif Ali and Sharjeel.

Azam Khan is like them but in a bigger body.

What is lack of skill though? He swept a 145kmh bowler for six

 

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

What is lack of skill though? He swept a 145kmh bowler for six

His body mass specifically will get in the way of him playing back foot shots. It’s why he’s forever late on the pull. You need to be somewhat nimble to do a Ponting style swivel pull.

Two things can be right at the same time:

- He’s the best No.5 in the country.

- He needs to get off his high horse and begin to lose weight again. People telling him to lose weight isn’t because of cosmetics, but because it’s in the way of him becoming a better player.

 

[JattMaula]

Yes.

 

[sweep_shot]

I think he is a great hitter.

He should definitely get a lengthy go if he gets fitter.

 

[the Great Khan]

I feel that he is not getting the issue at all. He is now talking like his backers which is worrying.

It's disgraceful. A joke. If he ever wears a pak shirt again it will be a black day for us. How hard is it to lose this weight as a sportsman. Why is nobody telling him He will be dead in 20 years at this rate. What does he eat that makes him so fat. Look as Jimmy. Now that's a sportsman. Still going at 40. Imran khan kept going till 38..there are others..then we have round boy..goodness.

 

[Mankaded]

He wont be a regular intnl cricketer for pakistan looking like that

Youve got to be agile, a good ground fielder, athletic, be able to dive n get up, run back to back 2s and 3s, chase the ball quickly to the boundary, play long innings

Azam cant do that by being borderline obese

Forget borderline obese, for being morbidly obese you need to have a BMI of 35-39 which he most certainly already has. Its just that he is quite young and doing a lot of exercise it isn't that noticeable to him but once he gets a bit older and becomes less active he will immediately start to suffer from all the related health issues if he doesn't have some already.

 

[Zaz]

People who think performance just equals the runs you make or wickets you take are so far off the mark

What about performance whilst running between the wkts, running quick singles, running multiple twos and not losing stamina to go again, what about fielding and stopping sharp singles and throwing down wkts or moving quickly to the ball to take a catch or diving to save a boundary?

Do these not count in this day and age?

What is the point of a batter if hes gonna concede 10 - 15 runs a game in the field?

This isnt amateur cricket You can tell from that interview he just isnt serious about his game to take it to another level

The reply shouldve been "i will get fit and wont give selectors any reason" rather than "i dont care pick me or not your choice"

What kind of attitude is this?

 

[MenInG]

Azam needs to not take these questions seriously also and not make light of this. Also ISLU media guys should step in and tell the journos what to ask etc.

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[Bewal Express]

People who think performance just equals the runs you make or wickets you take are so far off the mark

What about performance whilst running between the wkts, running quick singles, running multiple twos and not losing stamina to go again, what about fielding and stopping sharp singles and throwing down wkts or moving quickly to the ball to take a catch or diving to save a boundary?

Do these not count in this day and age?

What is the point of a batter if hes gonna concede 10 - 15 runs a game in the field?

This isnt amateur cricket You can tell from that interview he just isnt serious about his game to take it to another level

The reply shouldve been "i will get fit and wont give selectors any reason" rather than "i dont care pick me or not your choice"

What kind of attitude is this?

All valid points and all have to bd weighed up before a players is selected.

 

[hitthestump]

I think he has made up his mind that this is him. Its upto the selectors to decide if his weight is such a liability that they can't pick him.

I think so too, but i wouldn't say that he has 'made up his mind' as much as he can't do the work required to get fitter.

For the selectors to pick him Azam Khan has to be 15-25% better than his competition due to his weight. His competition for the no.5 spot is currently likely to be Iftikhar Ahmed.

Versus Ifti i don't think Azam Khan gets in. But if we're forced into having to look at the likes of Asif Ali, Haider Ali or Khushdil Shah again then i think he does.

 

[shamaan]

If he’s not keeping in the side where would he field?

He's better than Ihsanullah in the field and people want him in the xi.

 

[shamaan]

Whic points table is pakistan bottom of?

What makes you think he can replicate anywhere near this form 7 innings out of 10? Intnl cricket isnt backyard cricket

Every weakness no matter how small will get exploited

Look at asif ali who looks a million dollars whilst playing psl and bats like a taolender for pakistan

Your correct about changing the mindset And that also means not getting in someone whos physically overweight in the team

Azam needs to get serious if he wants to play for pakistan because theres plenty of others fighting too for the same spot

No player can perform 7 innings out of 10 in Pakistan playing this kind of way.

 

[shamaan]

People wanted Ihsanullah in the team even thou his fielding off that is off club level Azam Khan would beat Ihsanullah I'm multiple drills in a head to head contest.

 

[Saj]

The other issue is that as he gets older it will become harder to lose weight.

If he really wants to lose weight he should make a start on it now.

 

[Bewal Express]

I think he has realised that there is big money to be made without worrying about playing for PK. He will pick up close to 500k per annum and not lose a pound and also not having to justify himself, sits well with him.

 

[Saj]

I think he has realised that there is big money to be made without worrying about playing for PK. He will pick up close to 500k per annum and not lose a pound and also not having to justify himself, sits well with him.

True.

His father has probably told him you can make a fortune playing in the likes of the BPL, T10 etc without having to play for Pakistan.

 

[Bewal Express]

True.

His father has probably told him you can make a fortune playing in the likes of the BPL, T10 etc without having to play for Pakistan.

If he had no option, he would be running marathons. As I said before you pick him if you think he can do a job, otherwise let him be.

 

[the Great Khan]

True.

His father has probably told him you can make a fortune playing in the likes of the BPL, T10 etc without having to play for Pakistan.

And that in itself shows us why he shouldn't play for his country. If your passionate about the game you would try and stay in it as long as possible.

His knees will suffer. Who knows what other underlying conditions are awaiting him. One injury can change everything. And as others have mentioned he will find losing weight harder.

Look at freddy flintoff. When he was young they used to call him fat fred. He worked hard and lost weight and the rest is history.

Azam needs to lose weight and build muscle. He can do it if he wants to. Its not hard to lose pounds these days especially if you are as obese as he is.

I cant understand why some people just can't see the obvious.

 

[GLORY OF '92]

Inzy is there to see. Stop crying. I'd take 11 Azam's if they can win us series and WCs.

 

[ArabKnight]

Hence you flunked physics!

The ball makes impact with the bat, not Azam's tummy! It's the velocity of the bat that matters, precisely why modern bats get lighter because batsmen like to go through their shots faster. Maxwell, Buttler, ABDV don't rely on obesity for hitting the biggest 6s.

Fair play to Azam, he times his shots well and fully commits to them. But to say that's because he's overweight is stupid. Only people who'll be convinced by such theories are the likes os Umar Akmal or Nasir Jamshed!

What will the team do with him when we're bowling? Rizwan, Sarfraz keeps..... where will we hide this airship? Is it even possible to hide him? Modern batsmen will target wherever he stands knowing fully well that's an easy three.

Is the batter and bat not considered as a singular system of mass? Why must you decouple both and disregard the mass of the batsman in producing power? Let us be honest, a thin man can’t produce as much kinetic energy as a thick man.

 

[Suleiman]

Is the batter and bat not considered as a singular system of mass? Why must you decouple both and disregard the mass of the batsman in producing power? Let us be honest, a thin man can’t produce as much kinetic energy as a thick man.

There are people who are 160 lbs but can bench press 225 lb. There are people who are 170, 180, 190 and even 200 lbs who cannot bench 225 lbs.

You’re oversimplifying the concept by quite a bit. It’s more than just static forces at play here. Leverages, timing (point of contact with bat with ball in a physical sense), and overall technique when playing shots even simple things like back lift and how high a batsman grips the bat is going to play into the physics too.

Also, the force applied is not like in a basic physics question where a box is being dropped from some height and then you plug in kinetic / potential energy equation.

It’s more like the motion of a pendulum alongside many other physical mechanisms.

 

[sweep_shot]

Is the batter and bat not considered as a singular system of mass? Why must you decouple both and disregard the mass of the batsman in producing power? Let us be honest, a thin man can’t produce as much kinetic energy as a thick man.

Cricket is a more complex sport than that.

A modern day fielder needs to be agile. Otherwise, he can leak runs. These little things can add up.

There is also the factor of running between the wicket.

A large percentage of league bowlers (be it BPL, PSL, or even IPL) are lalloo bowlers. It is one thing to dominate league bowlers and another thing to do the same in international cricket.