Playing guitar helps Pakistan's Azam Khan de-stress before matches

You say Azam Khan and almost everyone in Bangladesh can visualise a skinny, unassuming man changing the whole idea of music in this part of the world. But this story is not about Azam Khan, the musician. It's about Azam Khan, the cricketer. Wait, the popstar Azam Khan was also a cricketer! So this story is about Azam Khan, cricket and music and it's not about the man who's just been mentioned. 

Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan took the BPL by storm as he smashed a magnificent hundred against Chattogram Challengers earlier in the tournament. Azam, one of Pakistan's hardest hitters of the ball, has a special interest in music and said music helps him de-stress. You'll find quite a few videos and shorts of Azam Khan singing on YouTube. 

The Khulna Tigers batter had an excellent BPL although his team failed to make the playoffs. Azam scored 226 runs in the tournament at an average of 45 and a strike-rate of nearly 160. With his cricketing gears, Azam has carried a friend - a guitar - to Bangladesh all the way from Pakistan. 

The start was very interesting. Azam once realised he was spending too much time using his mobile phone. Then he decided to channel that energy into music and it's hard to imagine that he learned how to play guitar by watching YouTube videos. 

"I engaged myself with music because I felt sometimes I spent too much time on my phone," said Azam in a video in BCB's YouTube channel. "Guitar is something that makes me calm and keeps me away from the phone. That was the reason why I picked up the guitar and I didn't go to any trainer. I learned from YouTube."

"When I am nervous before a game, I pick up my guitar and play some songs," added Azam.

Azam is the son of legendary Pakistan cricketer Moin Khan. Azam said that he took up cricket inspired by his father. 

The right-handed batter reckons the BPL is a great platform especially for the local young players.

"It's a great tournament for all the Bangladeshi youngsters. They will learn a lot because [the conditions] are tricky. If you play in the subcontinent, you will get tricky wickets here," he said.