LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez hit out at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after their recent board meeting that brought together many former cricketers to discuss solutions to improve the national team after a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign.
The high-level meeting was held on July 9 at a hotel on Mall Road in Lahore. The meeting, chaired by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, was aimed at utilizing the insights and suggestions of experienced players to improve Pakistan’s cricket infrastructure.
More than fifteen former test and international cricketers participated in the discussion and offered a number of recommendations to strengthen the cricket framework in the country.
Notable participants included Salman Butt, Ijaz Ahmed, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Basit Ali, Intikhab Alam, Asim Kamal, Mohammad Sami, Shafiq Papa, Yasir Hameed, Saleem Altaf, Haroon Rasheed, Yasir Shah, Sikandar Bakht, Wajahatullah Wasti and Azhar.
One of the major topics that was raised was the team mix and selection during the recent ICC T20 World Cup. Several cricketers expressed their dissatisfaction with the composition of the team, pointing out the imbalance caused by the overabundance of openers and the lack of reliable middle-order batsmen.
Former PCB official Aalia Rasheed expressed her support for Mohammad Hafeez on social media platform ‘X’ and criticized the board for not inviting him.
“Mohammad Hafeez expressed his concerns about the lack of fitness and discipline. As the team director, he desperately wanted the Pakistan team to adhere to international standards of professionalism. Alas! The new chairman never invited him to discuss the issues and his ideas,” Aalia posted.
In response, Hafeez replied, “We live in a society where Abdullah ki baat Samajh nahee aate aur Micheal & Tom sab such kahta hai.”
