I really wanted to talk about Hammad Azam and how he's grown as a batsman in the past one year. No one can deny that he was mistreated by the selectors after a positive outing in the 2012 Asia Cup and, frankly, I do think that the weight of expectations can bring you down. However, in the past one year we have seen players like Umar Amin, Amir Yamin bury the ghosts of their previous outings and completely redefine themselves to push for a long-term LOI spot.
To begin with, Hammad's a batting all-rounder whereas Yamin, Anwar or Amad Butt are bowling all-rounders. Have been following and trying to scrutinize his game for a while now and, safe to say, he's no Abdul Razzaq. Frankly, I find the comparisons to be random and having more to do with people's obsession of searching for glimpses of Razzaq in every upcoming all-rounder from Anwar Ali to Hassan Mohsin.
If you absolutely have to compare him to someone, I think his game is most similar to Angelo Mathews. He's a proper batsman meant to play in the upper middle order, preferably No. 4 or 5 and can muscle the ball towards the end once he's set. I think he's no longer the all-rounder everyone wanted him to be, but that doesn't change that he still has to plenty to offer. Would definitely give credit to UBL's management for persisting with him in a power packed line-up and giving him the confidence by appointing him as captain in the absence of Shan Masood. He does average 61.5 in 5 QeA innings this season, second-best after Saad Ali's average of 110.33, and scored two vital knocks, 128 against Karachi Whites and 52* against Rawalpindi, on batting graveyards.
This brings me to my next point on how he Hammad should be handled and may be groomed as a solid option. If I were part of the drafting process for a franchise in the 3rd edition of the PSL, I would consider picking him up as a viable option because he provides me with a local batsman option who could be slotted at No. 5. Not the best reference point, but Hammad's been Pakistan's best bowler at the HK Sixes, conceding less than 15 on three occasions and picking up vital wickets. As a captain, his bowling provides me with an interesting option. I would use him to open the bowling, probably just the one in the match, with the keeper standing up and a slip in place because he can shape the ball well and target the off-stump line. This not only allows the team to pinch an over at the start of the innings without using any of its main options and he might even get you a wicket. F
To conclude, Hammad could easily be transformed into a long-term batting option with plenty of utility. Working under the tutelage of Younis Khan at UBL could help achieve that and, personally, would love to see him work a bit with Azhar Mahmood. At 26, he has on course to redefining himself and his game to possibly emerge as a contender for a LOI spot in one or two years and I cannot emphasize enough on how important playing the PSL would be for any of this to be possible.
