“Please stop body shaming him,” Ahmed defends Azam Khan over online trolling

Former Pakistani cricketer Ahmed Shehzad came forward in support of wicketkeeper batsman Azam Khan after online trolling, saying that criticism for poor performance is fair, but fans should refrain from body shaming or insensitive remarks.

Azam Khan has been out of form in recent matches, and his performance in the ongoing T20 World Cup has drawn backlash. Cricket fans criticised him for his batting and resorted to body shaming.

Earlier, the 25-year-old cricketer deleted all his Instagram posts after being slammed online for his performance in T20 series with England and Ireland.

Speaking on a private TV channel, Ahmad Shehzad said, "It's your right to rebuke him for his performance, but please don't body-shame him."

"He's a young player and our future for sure. The blame for losses in tournaments and matches shouldn't fall on youngsters, but on the senior players," he added.

Echoing Ahmad's comments, Imam-ul-Haq also condemned the body shaming of Azam Khan. He further emphasised that Babar Azam should not be subjected to such bullying either.

Imam suggested that underperforming players can be replaced or dropped from the team. However, ridiculing them with personal remarks is unacceptable.

“Respect is paramount, even when offering criticism.” he said.

Defending Babar, Imam argued that criticising him harshly for a few recent poor performances is unfair, especially considering his past successes in winning matches for Pakistan.