Azam Khan, the son of former wicketkeeper-batter Moin Khan, has been signed in as the first Pakistani player for the much awaited UAE International League T20 (ILT20). For the first round of the competition, the Desert Vipers have enlisted Azam. An MNC by the name of Lancer Capital, which is also the proud owner of Manchester United, the 13-time Premier League champions, owns the Desert Vipers.
Azam, meanwhile, has only participated in three T20Is for Pakistan, making him very inexperienced. The 24-year-old has nonetheless participated in numerous franchise leagues around the world. The young player has experience with a few franchise teams, including Barbados Royals in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Galle Gladiators in the Lanka Premier League (LPL), and Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
The Desert Vipers announced the signing of Azam Khan on their official Twitter account, writing: “Pakistan keeper-batter Azam Khan is an exciting addition to Desert Vipers! He is one of the world’s best players of spin in T20 cricket, averaging 35 with a strike rate of 160 against slower bowlers – Azam is ideally suited to attacking those middle overs for #DesertVipers. “
Desert Vipers Squad: Sam Billings (England), Sheldon Cottrell (West Indies), Tom Curran (England), Ben Duckett (England), Saqib Mahmood (England), Alex Hales (England), Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka), Benny Howell (England), Azam Khan (Pakistan), Sandeep Lamichhane (Nepal), Colin Munro (New Zealand), Sherfane Rutherford (West Indies) and Ruben Trumpelmann (Namibia)