Mohammad Hafeez, a former captain of Pakistan, has criticized the national selection committee for passing over seasoned all-arounder Shoaib Malik for the forthcoming T20 World Cup in Australia. After the 2014 World Cup, Hafeez said he had advised Malik to retire since they would no longer be a part of the Pakistani team.
What did Hafeez say?
“I’m not even sure if he’ll receive the proper farewell he deserves at this point considering his 22 years of international cricket experience. Because of the current state of affairs following his most recent tweet, in which he emphasized friendships, likes, and dislikes within the squad, many people are dissatisfied with him, Hafeez told the CricketPakistan channel.
“Maintaining your fitness standards for so long is just amazing, he served Pakistan for roughly 21–22 years. When I retired, I advised Malik to do the same since I was aware that he would not be respected, as was also the case in my situation. I believe he wanted to be the last one remaining, but cricket can be cruel like this.”
Hafeez said that he had urged the management that Malik be given a farewell game following the 2019 World Cup. Hafeez claimed that the squad would have gained a senior player if Malik had competed in the World Cup.
“They gave my offer no consideration at all, not realizing that for his services, a match should have been found. Our management has never done a good job of saying goodbye to them. Don’t bring up the fact that he can’t play the cut or pull; remember that he played cricket for 22 years before he was unable to perform these strokes. Understanding is essential; we want suitable cricketers with whom we can form successful combinations, whether they are 40 or 20 years old.”
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Hafeez criticized Asif Ali and KhushdilShah
Hafeez, who himself retired from international cricket earlier, criticized Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah, Pakistan’s chosen batsmen, as one-dimensional batters. Hafeez continued by saying that players like Khushdil and Asif don’t rely on innings building, which is why Pakistan’s middle-order struggled during the Asia Cup.
He claimed that Khushdil and Asif are basically one-dimensional players who do not rely on innings building. Khushdil is incorrectly categorized as an international hitter despite having a strike rate (SR) of 110. He said it was important to figure out what was going on.
He also questioned if these guys could handle pressure. If Babar and Rizwan are out early, can they still put together an inning? He claims that they are chosen because the top-order takes some time to settle, which is absurd.
There is a lot of reliance on the top three, therefore he advised Muhammad Rizwan and Babar Azam to approach their next matches with greater purpose. He said that they have aided Pakistani cricket’s success and expansion. But if there is anything that both players could do better, it would be intent.
