Mohammad Hafeez: “I accepted the new role as a Director PCB with great passion to make positive reforms but unfortunately my designated tenure which was offered by the Pakistan Cricket Board for 4 years was cut short for 2 months on the account of new chairmanship”
Image courtesy of: Unsplash
Former all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has revealed that he had a four-year deal in place as Pakistan team director, but he ended up leaving the role after just two months.
Hafeez was appointed to replace Mickey Arthur, who previously coached Pakistan from 2016 to 2019, after the men in green failed to impress in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Assuming the team director and interim head coach positions for the tour of Australia and New Zealand, Hafeez was eager to see Pakistan do well.
However, they ended up being whitewashed 3-0 in their Test series against Australia and were comprehensively beaten 4-1 by the Black Caps in a five-match T20I series in January 2024.
Following those two heavy losses, rumours surfaced that Hafeez could lose his job and when Zaka Ashraf resigned as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), it spelt the end of Hafeez’s tenure as well.
“I always prioritise and represented Pakistan with dignity and pride. I accepted the new role as a Director PCB with great passion to make positive reforms but unfortunately my designated tenure which was offered by the Pakistan Cricket Board for 4 years was cut short for 2 months on the account of new chairmanship,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Best wishes for Pakistan cricket [in the] future. As always, I foremost take responsibility and put myself accountable for all my executions in my given time and will accordingly reveal all the cricketing and other amateur non-cricketing facts which [ensure] bad performances.”
The Pakistan team were recently involved in a five-match T20I series against New Zealand in April 2024, which ended as a 2-2 draw.
They then played three T20Is against Ireland and claimed a 2-1 win.
Right now, the men in green are taking on England in a four-match T20I series, which is tied at 0-0 after the first game was washed out.
Afterwards, they will be in action in the 2024 T20 World Cup, which will take place in the West Indies and United States of America from June 1 to 29.
Pakistan’s first T20 World Cup game will be against the United States of America in Dallas on June 6.
Pakistan Squad for Ireland and England T20I Series: Babar Azam (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan
Pakistan Squad for 2024 T20 World Cup: Babar Azam (capt), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan (wk), Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
[TS_Poll id=”112″]