Imad is scheduled to play against India after missing the most recent Twenty20 International series against England.
As New York gets ready for today’s fiercest rivalry in cricket, Pakistan’s seasoned all-rounder Imad Wasim will start in lieu of rookie middle-order batsman Azam Khan in the much-awaited T20 World Cup 2024 match against India.
This happened after Azam was benched for no reason during the match against the United States and did not perform well in his previous appearances for the national T20I team.
The 25-year-old cricket star has faced heavy criticism for both his on-field performance and physical health.
Imad, meanwhile, was healthy and would participate in the game in New York, as announced on Saturday by Pakistan’s head coach Gary Kirsten.
Imad is scheduled to play against the bitter rivals, having remained out of action since the T20I series against England last month.
In a news conference, Kirsten stated, “Imad Wasim will be available for the match against India.” “We’re going to fight back.”
According to the reports, Pakistan has chosen to use four fast bowlers, two all-rounders, and a spinner against India in their final playing XI, which does not include Azam.
According to the reports, the playing team consists of batsman Usman Khan, left-handed batsman Fakhar Zaman, captain Babar Azam, wicket-keeper-batter Muhammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Shadab Khan Imad, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Muhammad Amir and Naseem Shah.
Additionally, according to the reports, coach Kirsten and captain Babar have “lost trust in Azam because he was not allowed to play a single ball during the net practice.”
According to the sources, Azam stood by himself when the procedure was carried out.
Though he made his international debut three years ago in July 2021, the son of the famous wicket-keeper Moin Khan is yet to make an impact on the national team in T20I cricket. Despite playing in 14 innings for Pakistan, he was only able to score 88 runs.
Imam backs up Azam Khan.
One day prior, Imam stood up for Azam in the face of abuse on social media, claiming that the harassment prevents a cricket player from giving their best during games.
Imam said that it was impossible to play six games in a row without winning because of Azam’s terrible performance in back-to-back games, to which social media trolls quickly responded negatively.
Cricket supporters voiced their dissatisfaction with the Green Shirts’ performance and the team’s selection on Thursday following the Pakistan-US match.
After the game, the supporters spoke with Geo News and expressed their frustration over the outcome, particularly with Azam’s selection.”We are quite disappointed. Despite having no position on the squad, Azam Khan is nonetheless a member. He was out on the first ball and doesn’t know how to field’, a bystander said.
