“The team management felt differently and ruled me out of the tournament”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has revealed that he would have been able to represent the national team in the World Cup since his ankle injury would have only taken “a week or 10 days” to heal.

However, instead of taking a chance, the national selectors decided to recall Hafeez and include Nasir Jamshed in the squad as his replacement.

“The team management felt differently and ruled me out of the tournament,” Hafeez said. “For me it is the management’s decision [and] it’s for the best. I am sad to miss the World Cup.”

According to reports, Hafeez got into a heated dispute with the team management when he asked them to rest him for the recent two-match ODI series against New Zealand.

“Apparently Hafeez wanted to focus on getting his bowling action cleared by working out in the nets prior to the ICC bowling assessment test but head coach Waqar Younis and bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed felt otherwise,” a source told PTI. “In this background, Hafeez suffered his ankle injury in the second one-dayer against New Zealand. But the doctors said he would recover in 10 to 15 days time but the team management felt they could not take further risk with his fitness and decided to ask for a replacement.”