Pakistan wk-batsman Azam Khan left each and everyone stunned after pulling off a really tough catch behind the sticks when Galle Gladiators took on Kandy Falcons in the 9th match of the LPL.
Batting first, Galle Gladiators had put a below-par total of 153 runs on the board with Thanuka Dabare (70 off 51) waging a lone war as Carlos Braithwate’s 3-fer accounted for the big guns in Kusal Mendis, Azam Khan, and Ifthikar Ahmed.
It was a straightforward chase for the Falcons, however, the Gladiators struck at regular intervals to make the match their own.
Big Boy Azam Khan takes an acrobatic catch in LPL 2022
The first of many strikes from Galle Gladiators would not have been possible if not for Azam Khan putting his everything behind the wickets.
In the 4th over of the chase, a full ball from Nuwan Thushara took Andre Fletcher’s edge and was evading the big boy standing behind the sticks. However, Azam Khan put in a well-timed dive to his right to pluck out a one-handed catch that left the fans stunned.
Gladiators head-coach also appeared impressed with Khan’s effort.
Azam Khan, what a catch 🤯#LPL2022 pic.twitter.com/visbHVfY7h
— Grassroots Cricket (@grassrootscric) December 12, 2022
The brilliant catch from Azam Khan at the aforementioned LPL match not only helped his side get off to a great start in the 2nd innings, it also served as an apt response to those who have doubted him for his physique. Notably, Khan was snubbed from Pakistan’s 2022 T20 WC squad on account of his poor fitness.
Coming back to the match, their big hitter (Fletcher) out for a cheap score, the Kandy Falcons could never get going in the chase as everyone except Chamika Karunaratne struggled to put bat on ball.
If not for Karunaratne’s 15-ball-32 at the fag end of the innings, the side may have suffered a more substantial defeat at the hands of Galle Gladiators.
