Islamabad United captain, Shadab Khan, has strongly defended the fitness of team partner Azam Khan after a win on Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025.
At the post -match press conference, Shadab addressed concerns about Azam’s physical position and possible impact on his performance.
He emphasized the important value of wicketkeeper-batter for the franchise, claiming that his contribution removes fitness concerns.
“There should be no question about Azam’s fitness; we can cover for him,” Shadab said.
He said, “I am not saying that they should be in the Pakistan team, but our franchise is covering for them, and he always performs for the IU. For us, their performance matters more than their fitness,” he said.
Azam Khan played an important role in just 17.1 overs in the successful chase of Islamabad United. Opening the innings with Sahibzada Farhan, Azam scored 31 runs off 30 balls.
While Farhan’s Quick-Fire 30 set the tone to chase, Shadab Khan’s 47 runs anchored the team for 47 runs. Mohammad Nawaz then sealed the victory with a match winning strike.
Earlier, Islamabad United bowlers, including Shadab (2–17) and Naseem Shah (2–29), gave a major performance, limiting Karachi Kings to a total of 128/7. Tim Safart had a top score for 30 Karachi.
With this victory, Shadab -led Islamabad remained unbeaten in the United tournament, which won four winning from many sports.
They sit on the table of the points with eight points and next time Multan will face the Sultans at Multan Cricket Stadium on 23 April.
