Another setback for Pakistan ahead of the much-awaited world cup 2023: Mohammad Hafeez has resigned from the technical team. The former captain was an honorary member of the committee, which included other teammates and captains Inzamam-ul-Haq and Misbah-ul-Haq.
According to reports, the trio reported to PCB chairperson Zaka Ashraf and provided insightful suggestions for improving Pakistani cricket. So everyone is wondering the same thing: What happened? What prompted Hafeez’s resignation from the technical team?
His announcement
On Thursday, September 21, Hafeez announced his resignation from the committee. The allrounder announced his decision on X (previously Twitter).
He wished the Pakistani cricket team luck and also thanked Zaka Ashraf, making sure he knew he was always available if need be.
Hafeez made his decision just hours before Pakistan unveiled its World Cup selection, fueling fresh controversy about the team’s readiness for the World Cup. The meeting was convened to evaluate the team’s performance. We all saw how the Asia cup turned out so it was natural to question the position of players. Attendees included captain Babar Azam, chief operating officer Salman Nasser, head of international cricket Usman Wahla, head coach Grant Bradburnand and the previous leader Misbah-ul-Haq.
Some also say that Inzamam ul Haq skipped the meeting because he did not deem this a fruitful exercise. Instead, he wanted to be empathic toward the players and not bombard them by proposing new changes.
Reason for Hafeez’s resignation from the technical team
The resignation came just before PCB was due to announce the squad for the World Cup to discuss the dismal Asia cup performance. Zaka Ashraf had let us in on the secret about what actually went down.
Mohammad Hafeez and fellow Technical Committee member Misbah-ul-Haq sought a number of changes in the team for the World Cup, but captain Babar Azam and chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq were opposed.
“It was important to review the Asia Cup performance. Mohammad Hafeez and Misbah-ul-Haq have been advising me on essential matters. Both Misbah and Hafeez wanted big changes in the squad because of the team’s Asia Cup performance while our captain, Babar Azam, and the chief selector, Inzamam-ul-Haq, didn’t want to change the squad. We went with the advice of Babar Azam and Inzamam-ul-Haq in the wider interest of the World Cup and the Pakistan cricket team,” Ashraf said.
The ignorance of his suggestions, and because the PCB’s stance also did not match his, Hafeez’s resignation from the technical team came about.
Hopefully, PCB will clarify all these issues before heading for the world cup which is set to begin on 5th October.
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