Mohammad Hafeez: “Give opportunities to other bowlers like Mohammad Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Akif Javed, and Mir Hamza. These players are waiting for their chances – they are also Pakistani, and they deserve an opportunity”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez thinks it is time to give opportunities to fast bowlers Mohammad Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Akif Javed, and Mir Hamza.
He feels it is time to bring new seamers into the national team as the current trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf are not getting the job done.
During the 2025 Champions Trophy, Afridi, Naseem and Rauf all took two wickets in two games at an average of 71, 50, and 67.50 respectively.
Since they have been falling short of expectations, Hafeez wants them dropped and players like Ali, Shahzad, Wasim Jnr, Javed and Hamza to be called up as they have been performing well and are “waiting for their chances”.
“Give opportunities to other bowlers like Mohammad Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Akif Javed, and Mir Hamza. These players are waiting for their chances – they are also Pakistani, and they deserve an opportunity,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan lost to New Zealand and India in the Champions Trophy, which led to them getting knocked out in the group stage.
Their final match against Bangladesh was washed out, meaning they went winless throughout their entire campaign.
After this, Pakistan travelled to New Zealand and played a five-match T20I series, where Ali got the chance to play and took one wicket in three games at an average of 86.
As for the three-match ODI series, Ali claimed one wicket in one match at an average of 53, while Wasim Jnr finished with two wickets in two games at an average of 62.50.
In regards to Akif, he was the most impressive of the lot as he picked up seven wickets in three games at an average of 23.57.
The Pakistan players will now feature in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL), with Ali playing for the Peshawar Zalmi, while Wasim Jnr and Akif will represent the Quetta Gladiators and Multan Sultan respectively.
As for Shahzad and Hamza, they will play for the Gladiators and Karachi Kings respectively.
PSL 10 will be held from April 11 to May 18.
Karachi Kings Squad for PSL 10:
- Platinum: Adam Milne, David Warner (captain), Abbas Afridi
- Diamond: Hasan Ali, James Vince, Khushdil Shah
- Gold: Aamer Jamal, Irfan Khan, Shan Masood
- Silver: Arafat Minhas, Litton Das, Mir Hamza, Tim Seifert, Zahid Mahmood
- Emerging: Fawad Ali, Muhammad Riazullah
- Supplementary: Kane Williamson, Mohammad Nabi, Omair Yousuf, Mirza Mamoon
Multan Sultans Squad for PSL 10:
- Platinum: Michael Bracewell, Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Usama Mir
- Diamond: David Willey, Iftikhar Ahmed, Usman Khan
- Gold: Chris Jordan, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain
- Silver: Akif Javed, Gudakesh Motie, Josh Little, Faisal Akram, Tayyab Tahir
- Emerging: Ubaid Shah, Shahid Aziz
- Supplementary: Johnson Charles, Muhammad Amir Barki, Shai Hope, Yasir Khan
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 10:
- Platinum: Babar Azam (captain), Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore
- Diamond: Corbin Bosch, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Haris
- Gold: Abdul Samad, Hussain Talat, Nahid Rana
- Silver: Arif Yaqoob, Najibullah Zadran, Max Bryant, Mehran Mumtaz, Sufiyan Muqeem
- Emerging: Ali Raza, Maaz Sadaqat
- Supplementary: Ahmed Daniyal, Alzarri Joseph
Quetta Gladiators Squad for PSL 10:
- Platinum: Faheem Ashraf, Finn Allen, Mark Chapman
- Diamond: Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Amir, Rilee Rossouw
- Gold: Akeal Hosein, Saud Shakeel (captain), Mohammad Wasim Jnr
- Silver: Haseebullah Khan, Khawaja Nafay, Kyle Jamieson, Khurram Shahzad, Usman Tariq
- Emerging: Mohammad Zeeshan, Hasan Nawaz
- Supplementary: Danish Aziz, Kusal Mendis, Sean Abbott, Shoaib Malik