"I told him not to hit straight because I couldn’t have time to blink" - Pakistan pacer Aamer Jamal picks Azam Khan as toughest challenge in the side
Pakistan pacer Aamer Jamal picked wicketkeeper Azam Khan as his toughest batter to bowl to in the national side. Jamal has played six T20Is for Pakistan and debuted in Tests during the Australian tour at the end of last year, picking up an incredible 18 wickets in three games.
Meanwhile, Azam Khan, the hard-hitting batter, boasts a fearsome overall T20 record with an average of 24.74 and a strike rate of 147.96 in 166 outings. While Jamal has bowled only 10 balls to Azam in competitive cricket and conceded 14 runs, the duo must have played each other several times in the nets.
When asked to pick his toughest challenge on the Pakistan side, Jamal was quoted by CricketPakistan as saying:
"In Pakistan, I don't want to bowl to Azam (Khan). The reason was that in a white ball, you have only two or three options. There are not many options. You can either bowl Yorker, Slow, or Bouncer. Whenever I bowled to Azam, he has hit me very badly. He hit me very fast. When I bowled to him in the last match, I told him not to hit straight because I couldn’t have time to blink."
Despite being accomplished in T20 leagues, Azam Khan has struggled to replicate those performances in international cricket.
The 25-year-old has scored only 88 runs at an abysmal average of under 9 in 14 T20I games.
"I think Azam is under pressure because he didn't have a good start" - Aamer Jamal
![[Credit: Getty] Azam Khan has endured a miserable time in his brief international career](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/07/4c597-17223332889120-1920.jpg?w=500)
Aamer Jamal feels Azam Khan has been under pressure due to the lack of consistent backing despite his poor results.
Despite debuting for Pakistan in T20Is in 2021, the youngster has played only 14 matches. Yet, Azam has been given a consistent run this year with nine T20I games and still failed to deliver the goods with an average of under 12.
"I think Azam is under pressure because he didn't have a good start. Whether it was his debut or comeback. Otherwise being a player, I will never criticize Azam. I think if you want to develop a player, the process will be that if you give him a start in the conditions that he has performed, his confidence level builds and boosts and he will give you performances in any condition," said Jamal.
To Jamal's point, 12 of Azam Khan's 14 games have come in overseas conditions (outside Pakistan and UAE).
He played in only the lone game during Pakistan's dismal 2024 T20 World Cup, scoring a first-ball duck against the USA.