Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan has staunchly defended teammate Azam Khan’s fitness following their six-wicket victory over Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League (PSL 2025).
Shadab Khan addressed the concerns raised during a post-match press conference about Azam’s physical condition and its impact on his performance, Shadab emphasized the wicketkeeper-batter’s value to the franchise.
“There shouldn’t be any questions about Azam’s fitness; we can cover for him,” Shadab stated. “I’m not saying he should necessarily be in the Pakistan team, but our franchise is covering for him, and he always performs for IU. For us, his performance matters more than his fitness.”
Azam Khan played a pivotal role in Islamabad United’s chase of 129 in just 17.1 overs. The wicketkeeper batsman decided to open the innings with Sahibzada Farhan, scoring a steady 31 off 30 balls. While Sahibzada Farhan’s quick 30 set the tone. Late on, Shadab Khan stepped up to score an impressive 47 off 40 before Mohammad Nawaz hit the winning runs. Earlier, United’s bowlers, including Shadab (2-17) and Naseem Shah (2-29), restricted Karachi to 128/7, with Tim Seifert’s 30 the top score.
During the post-match interview, Shadab was also asked if PSL is helping Pakistan cricket, to which he responded: “Your best local talent plays in the PSL. That means those who don’t perform or aren’t even part of PSL are considered even lower in standard.”
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