Former Pakistani Cricket Team captain and former member of the PakistanCricket Board’s (PCB) technical committee, Mohammad Hafeez, has highlightedsignificant shortcomings in Pakistan’s strategy for the ICC World Cup 2023squad.
In an interview with a local TV channel, Mohammad Hafeez, also known asProfessor, offered his analysis of the teams participating in the WorldCup. He noted that all major teams in the ICC World Cup 2023 possess robustbench strength, while the Pakistani team appears to lack in this regard.
During the interview, Professor clarified that his role as a member ofPCB’s technical committee was to assist PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf incricket-related matters and identify the weak areas of the Pakistan cricketteam. He emphasized that it was PCB’s responsibility to address theseweaknesses, and as a member of the technical committee, he had fulfilledhis duties without exceeding his mandate.
Hafeez pointed out several key issues within the team’s composition.Firstly, he highlighted the absence of a suitable second opener for thenational team. Additionally, he noted a lack of a batter ready to play atnumber 5 in the middle order.
Hafeez also mentioned the shortage of spinner options and the absence of abowler capable of starting the bowling attack with the new ball. Whileacknowledging the talent within the Pakistani team, Hafeez stressed that noplayer seemed adequately prepared for these critical roles.
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He also lamented the absence of Naseem Shah in the World Cup 2023 squadand expressed concern that no contingency plans appeared to be in place forpotential injuries to key bowlers like Shaheen Shah Afridi or Haris Raufduring the ongoing 48-day event.
Additionally, Hafeez noted a deficiency in the team’s bowling all-rounder.It’s worth mentioning that Mohammad Hafeez resigned from his position as amember of PCB’s technical committee just before the announcement of thenational squad for the ICC 50-overs mega event.
