Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan, who has been struggling with his batting form recently, found himself in a heated moment with a fan during the T20 World Cup match against the United States.
The Green Shirts faced a humiliating defeat against the hosts in their first match of the mega event at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Thursday. The wicketkeeper-batter was dismissed on the very first ball he faced, bowled out by Nosthush Kenjige soon after Shadab Khan’s dismissal.
A video that has since gone viral shows, Azam, walking back to the pavilion with an angry expression after an encounter with a fan. This incident has further fueled criticism from cricket fans, many of whom believe he should be dropped from the national team due to his poor performance.
Pakistan set a target of 160 runs for the home side. The USA started brilliantly with the ball, dismissing Pakistan’s top-order batsmen — Mohammad Rizwan, Usman Khan, and Fakhar Zaman — for just 26 runs.
However, skipper Babar Azam and Shadab Khan stabilized the innings, playing cautiously to put the struggling Pakistani side back in the game. Their 72-run partnership gave Pakistan a fighting chance, but Shadab was dismissed after scoring 40 runs off 25 balls.
Immediately following Shadab’s dismissal, Azam Khan was bowled out for a golden duck, and the wickets continued to fall. Babar Azam managed to score 44 runs off 43 balls, while Iftikhar Ahmed added 18 runs.
Shaheen Afridi contributed crucial runs down the order, scoring 23 off 16 balls, which helped Pakistan reach a total of 159-7 in their allotted overs.
Despite these efforts, Pakistan’s performance was not enough to secure a victory, and the loss has intensified scrutiny of Azam Khan’s place in the team.
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