All is not well inside the Pakistan dressing room, according to reports. After a disastrous campaign in the ODI World Cup last year, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made a number of changes to the team-management in order to help the team make a fresh start.
Babar Azam stepped down as the captain in all the three formats and was replaced by Shan Masood and Shaheen Afridi as the Test and T20I captain respectively. Mohammad Hafeez also replaced Mickey Arthur as the team director and is also plying his trade as a head coach as of now. There were several other changes to the backroom staff too.
However, the change in captaincy as well as the coaching team has not made much of an impact so far as Pakistan have not won a single game in five attempts after the World Cup. They suffered a whitewash in the three-match Test series in Australia and could face a similar fate in the ongoing five-match T20I series in New Zealand as well.
Mohammad Hafeez and players at loggerheads:
The Men in Green have lost the first two games of the series and are on the verge of losing the series. Amidst all these, Cricket Pakistan has reported that Mohammad Hafeez and Pakistan players have clashed over several issues in recent times. One of the main reasons behind the clash is the matter related to granting No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for T20 leagues.
The disappointed players have expressed their displeasure over Mohammad Hafeez’s strict rules. As a result, the relation between the players and the former Pakistan allrounder has turned a bit sour. The report stated that players like Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, Azam Khan, and others had requested NOCs for their participation in the upcoming second edition of ILT20, and the certificates were duly issued.
However, when several prominent cricketers sought NOCs for the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Hafeez hesitated, putting their contracts in jeopardy. The players are also not happy with the team director’s extended discussions and lengthy sessions during team meetings. The players have complained that Mohammad Hafeez’s unnecessary interventions and prolonged talks are disrupting the team environment.
