'I know what is being spoken about me, I will answer them with the bat' - Azam Khan to his critics and trolls

On Friday, June 4, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced all-format squads for Pakistan’s upcoming tours of England and the West Indies. One of the main highlights of the squad was young Azam Khan getting his maiden call to the T20I squad.

The inclusion of Azam has stirred controversy in the cricket fraternity as many believe that the selection of Azam was unfair and biased. Notably, Azam is the son of the former Pakistan skipper Moin Khan. The 22-year-old finally opened up on all the criticism and flak saying that he doesn’t pay any attention to social media trolling and tries to ignore it as much as he can.

“I don’t give a lot of importance to criticism from media. I know what is being spoken about me. But I mostly try to ignore it. I know what I need to do to achieve my ultimate goals. I will have to work hard for that. As far as critics are concerned, I answer them with the bat,” Azam Khan said in an interview on Cricwick’s YouTube channel

Azam asserted that god has blessed him with talent and he wants to make full use of skill. He added that people will automatically get all their answers when they see him perform. Azam believes that he is mentally strong and thus has the ability to ignore all the things that can bring him down or can lower his morale. 

“I don’t want to say anything to anybody and I have never reacted in that way. God has given me talent. I want to utilize that to give my best on the ground with the bat. People will then automatically get their answers. There’s no need to get into unnecessary things like media critics. Mental toughness also involves ignoring such stuff. I do the same and just play my cricket,” Azam Khan said.

I cried a lot and became very emotional: Azam Khan

Further in the interaction, Azam described his feelings on getting his maiden call-up to the Pakistan team. The batter revealed that it was his dream since childhood to play for the Men in Green at the highest level. Speaking about his reaction, the 22-year-old added that it was a happy occasion but he couldn’t stop his tears.

“I can’t express my feeling. Since I was a child, I had this dream of representing Pakistan at the highest level. So, when the chief selector announced the team, it was a really happy occasion. I cried a lot and became very emotional. But, the emotions were of happiness. The good thing is that I know I have to work even harder going ahead. Insha Allah, looking forward to it,” Azam Khan concluded.