Director Mohammad Hafeez's advice cum warning to Pakistani players
Shares
Pakistan Cricket Team Director Mohammad Hafeez addressed the concerning trend of players prioritizing international leagues over domestic cricket, emphasizing the importance of representing Pakistan.
This comes in response to all-rounder Imad Wasim's decision to skip the Pakistan Cup and National T20 in favor of participating in the Abu Dhabi T10, followed by his retirement announcement.
Hafeez highlighted the team management's desire for players to acknowledge the significance of red-ball cricket. Pacer Haris Rauf, who was denied a NOC, was encouraged to play in a domestic tournament rather than the Big Bash League (BBL). The management aims to safeguard Pakistan cricket by ensuring players prioritize the country and domestic cricket.
Expressing concern over the shift away from red-ball cricket, Hafeez mentioned measures would be taken to bring focus back to this format. He acknowledged the importance of long-form cricket in polishing players' basics and stated that promoting those who excel in red-ball cricket is part of the strategy to improve the overall game.
Hafeez announced the upcoming release of the PCB's NOC policy, taking players' workloads into consideration. He stressed the need for players with central contracts to be available for Pakistan, considering the schedules of all three formats.
With an eye on the T20 World Cup, Hafeez emphasized the importance of managing players' workloads to ensure fitness and performance.
Commending Babar Azam for his contributions to Pakistan cricket, Hafeez addressed the press conference before the team's departure for the Australia Test series.
