Mohammad Hafeez: “My prayers are for Babar, he is a great player and I feel his captaincy shouldn’t be subjected to criticism”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Senior Pakistan player Mohammad Hafeez has called on people to stop criticising captain Babar Azam as he is doing his best.
He noted that the 28-year-old “is a great player” who has been leading from the front with the bat while shouldering the added responsibility and pressure that comes with the captaincy.
The 42-year-old added that he is praying for Azam and hopes to see him enjoy more success in the future.
“My prayers are for Babar, he is a great player and I feel his captaincy shouldn’t be subjected to criticism,” he was quoted as saying by NDTV.
Hafeez is now in action for the Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) after being called up as a replacement for Ahsan Ali.
Azam, meanwhile, is captaining the Peshawar Zalmi after being traded to them from the Karachi Kings in exchange for Pakistan big-hitters Haider Ali and Shoaib Malik.
Quetta Gladiators Squad for PSL 8: Mohammad Nawaz, Iftikhar Ahmed, Jason Roy, Mohammad Hasnain, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Naveen ul Haq, Umar Akmal, Will Smeed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Naseem Shah, Odean Smith, Mohammad Hafeez, Umaid Asif, Muhammad Zahid, Abdul Bangalzai, Aimal Khan, Martin Guptill, Omair Bin Yousuf, Qais Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Dwaine Pretorius (partial replacement for Odean Smith), Will Jacks (partial replacement for Jason Roy), Nuwan Thushara (partial replacement for Naveen ul Haq)
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 8: Babar Azam, Sherfane Rutherford, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Haris, Aamir Jamal, Salman Irshad, Tom-Kohler Cadmore, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Rovman Powell, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Danish Aziz, Arshad Iqbal, Saim Ayub, Usman Qadir, Suifyan Muqeem, Haseebullah, Jimmy Neesham, Khurram Shahzad, Haris Sohail, Richard Gleeson (partial replacement for Rovman Powell), Peter Hatzoglou (partial replacement for Mujeeb ur Rahman), Shakib Al Hasan (available for playoffs), Azmatullah Omarzai