Ahmad Shahzad says Azam Khan should not be body shamed

Pakistani cricketer Ahmad Shahzad has slammed all those commenting on obesity of wicket-keeper batter Azam Khan, saying that no one should body shame him as he was still a young man and had a good future prospect.

“It’s your right to rebuke (over performance) but do not body shame him,” Shahzad said in Geo News programme ‘Haarna Mana Hai’.

His comments came in response to harsh criticism faced by Azam not just over his repeated dismal performance but also due to his heavy weight, following which the dejected player has also removed all the posts from his Instagram account.

The batter could not perform well in the recent T20I series against England and Ireland, as well as in the World Cup match against US.

Over Pakistan’s first two losses in the ongoing World Cup, Shahzad said it was not an individual’s fault, but the entire team was answerable for that.

Pakistan, after featuring him in back to back matches, axed the middle-order batsman from the playing XI in matches against India and Canada of the World Cup.

In Green Shirts' opening match of the mega tournament against the United States, Azam was routed for naught.

Last week, batsman Imam Ul Haq defended Azam amid trolling on social media, saying that it affects a player's performance.

Imam said that a cricketer was unable to perform well in the matches because of the trolling on social media, adding that the social media warriors instantly blasted a cricketer’s performance.

Since his international debut three years ago in July 2018, Azam has struggled to make an impact in T20Is for Pakistan, having scored only 88 runs in at least 14 innings.

Both his on-field performance and physical fitness have drawn harsh criticism for the 25-year-old cricket player.