New Delhi [India] : Former Pakistan team director Mohammad Hafeez disclosed details about the conversation he had with star batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan during the recently concluded T20I series against New Zealand.
Pakistan avoided a whitewash during the five-match T20I series by registering a 42-run victory in the final game to end their tour on 4-1.
During the first three games of the series, Babar showed glimpses of returning to his peak after going through a barren run in last year’s World Cup and the Test series against Australia.
Against the Kiwis, the experienced batter registered scores of 57, 66 and 58. Overall in the series, he amassed 213 runs at an average of 42.6.
Hafeez opened up about the conversation he had with Babar during which he stressed the importance of contribution from each player which plays a major role in the team’s achievements.
“You are a great player, you are a wonderful player, and you are playing great cricket; however, you have to develop the Pakistan team,” Hafeez said in an interview, as quoted from Geo News.
The former team director suggested Rizwan and Babar embrace positional changes. He went on to reveal that he appreciated Babar’s talent and potential but urged him to play at the number three spot rather than opening for the team.
“We need to develop a team, and for that, I want you to come at number three because you have been playing this role in the ODI cricket for the last six years,” Hafeez added.
Last week, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) parted ways with Mohammad Hafeez, who served as the director of cricket for the Pakistan men’s cricket team.
Hafeez was appointed Director – Pakistan men’s cricket team in the aftermath of a disappointing ICC World Cup 2023 campaign. The side failed to make it to the semifinals and finished with just four wins. This saw several changes in the Pakistan leadership setup. After Babar Azam resigned from captaincy, Shan Masood and Shaheen Afridi were given leadership roles in the Test and T20I formats respectively.
