Mohammad Yousuf reveals advice given to Azam Khan

 Pakistan’s legendary batsman Mohammad Yousuf has revealed that he advised uncapped Azam Khan to not think about hitting a six on every delivery.

The 22-year-old was named in the Men-in-Green’s T20I squad for the tours of England and West Indies.

While talking to SAMAA exclusively, the former captain urged young cricketers to follow the example of Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, Kane Williamson and Steve Smith.

“I advised Azam Khan when he was here for three to four days that it is not necessary to hit six on every single delivery,” said the 46-year-old. “I never stopped him from hitting sixes but always asked him to play big shots when it is needed. I have always said that no matter how hard you hit the ball, you always end up scoring a maximum of 200 or a little more in a T20 match.

“Eight to 10 runs less from that is acceptable which can easily be achieved without taking any unnecessary risk. Babar, Kohli, Williamson and Smith are doing the same. These batsmen play in gaps, score singles and doubles, built their innings and then they try to hit boundaries. If you lose an unnecessary wicket by playing a big short, then the team will suffer.”

Azam has played 41 T20s in his career where he has managed to score 819 runs at an average of 22.75 along with the strike-rate of 153.37.