(Cricket News) “The PCB extends heartfelt gratitude to Mohammad Hafeez, Director of Pakistan men’s cricket team, for his invaluable contributions. Hafeez’s passion for the game has inspired players and his mentorship during the tour of Australia and New Zealand have been of immense importance.
The PCB wishes Hafeez good luck and success in his future endeavours,” Pakistan Cricket posted on X on Thursday. Hafeez was the team’s director of cricket for the Pakistan men’s cricket team.
Following a disappointing ICC World Cup 2023 campaign in which the team finished with just four wins and failed to advance to the semifinals, Hafeez was named Director of the PCB. This resulted in several changes to the Pakistani leadership team, with Shaheen Afridi taking over as Test captain and Babar Azam resigning from captaincy.
Three key figures in the Pakistan arrangement were removed: Mickey Arthur, the former director of men’s cricket, Grant Bradburn, the former head coach, and Andrew Puttick, the former batting coach.
All three were sent to the National Cricket Academy in Lahore and later resigned from their positions. Haris Rauf’s central contract was terminated after the PCB looked into his refusal to play for Pakistan’s Test team during the recently concluded Australia tour.
After a successful career in cricket, Hafeez was given the responsibility. The all-round player played for Pakistan in 55 Tests, 218 ODIs, and 119 T20Is, amassing 12,780 runs and 253 wickets. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s performance in Australia was unimpressive; despite some brilliant moments, the team lost the three-game Test series 3-0. The five-game T20I series in New Zealand was even worse, as the team lost 4-1.
