Hammad Azam hits back at Mohammad Rizwan over ‘Hyderabad doesn’t deserve’ remarks

Hyderabad Kingsmen all-rounder Hammad Azam has strongly responded to comments made by RawalPindiz captain Mohammad Rizwan, who suggested that Hyderabad 'didn’t deserve' their place in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 playoffs despite a dramatic final-stage qualification.

Rizwan’s remarks came after his side endured a disappointing campaign, winning just one of their 10 matches, including a heavy defeat to the Kingsmen in their final league-stage fixture.

Speaking during the post-match media conference after his side’s recent fixture, the wicketkeeper batter reflected on the emotions surrounding the qualification scenarios.

He admitted that his comments during the strategic timeout were made in the heat of the moment, adding that he later recognised they may have been inappropriate.

“At the start, I wished that Lahore would qualify; there’s a special affection for them, that’s a different matter. During the strategic timeout, I told Usman Khawaja that, considering how Hyderabad played their last match, they don’t deserve it. This could be my wrong thinking as well and I apologize for it,” he said.

“We feel bad for Lahore, but we couldn’t do anything,” he added.

Hyderabad Kingsmen secured their playoff spot in emphatic fashion, defeating Pindiz by 108 runs in a must-win encounter. Batting first, the Kingsmen posted a commanding 244-6 before bowling out Rizwan’s side for just 136.

The result saw Hyderabad finish level on points with Lahore Qalandars, but they edged ahead on net run-rate to claim the final playoff berth.

In a recent interview with a local media platform, Hammad Azam expressed clear disappointment over Rizwan’s comments, questioning both the judgment and consistency of the statement.

“It was a very bad statement, to be honest. When I heard this thing and saw their press conference, I was very disappointed because I wasn’t expecting that a captain who has been the captain of PSL for a long time, you have been the ex-captain of Pakistan, you have decided that we don’t deserve it because one game went bad,” Hammad said.

He further pointed to RawalPindiz's overall record, suggesting that broader performance trends should also be considered when making such assessments.

“Now, if we come to personal performances, I think they have won two matches in the last 18 matches, one this year and one last year. So, they should also do self-analysis that what they deserve and what they don’t deserve," he stated.

"One game can go bad, there is nothing like that in that. And against them, the first match we played, we bowled them out for 125. In this match, we defeated them by more than 100 runs. So, that thing should go in our positive. So, I think we deserve it. We are at this stage, at this place,” he added.

Hammad also criticised remarks suggesting pre-match preferences for other teams, calling them inconsistent with a professional captain’s responsibilities.

“And then they said another very strange thing in the middle that before the match, we wanted Lahore to win. Like, I didn’t understand that you are the captain of a team, your team has lost 8 matches out of 9. You should see that we win this game and finish it on a high note,” he said.

The 35-year-old further stressed the importance of leadership mindset and maintaining focus regardless of rival outcomes.

“As a captain, you are the leader, you motivate your team that we have to win this match. You have to go to win. Even if we are in this situation, it doesn’t matter to us that Lahore wins, Islamabad wins, whatever wins. We have to see what we have to do and how we can win this tournament or how we can do better in the future,” Hammad stated.

He also dismissed claims regarding alleged on-field instructions during a break in play, rejecting suggestions of unsportsmanlike intent.

“Then they are saying that I came down during the break, I told Usman Khawaja that this is the last match, play badly. How can you say this? Tell him to go for victory or whatever. Maximise it. Try to reduce the number of runs so that even if we are losing, there is not such a bad defeat,” he concluded.