Mohammad Hafeez has accused Pakistan players of taking things lightly and sleeping in the dressing room during a Test match during his tenure as the head coach and director of the team on the tour of Australia early this year.
Hafeez served as the team director from November 2023 to February 2024 and was also the interim head coach. During his tenure, Pakistan toured New Zealand for 5 T20Is with Shaheen Afridi as captain and was hammered by a 1-4 margin.
Then Pakistan traveled to Australia for a three-Test series, which marked Shan Masood’s debut as Test captain. However, Pakistan was still routed 0-3 in the series, with their last Test win in Australia coming in 1995.
This had come after a tumultuous 2023 year for the Pakistan team, when the Men in Green were humiliated in the Asia Cup which they co-hosted, and failed to make it into the final. Then Pakistan failed to qualify for the semi-final of the ODI World Cup and was defeated by India, Afghanistan, and South Africa amongst other teams in a poor performance.
I found 4-5 players are sleeping in the dressing room: Mohammad Hafeez
Pakistan’s poor performance in T20Is has continued as after failing to defeat a C-string New Zealand side at home and losing the series to England in England, the Babar Azam-led side was embarrassed in the T20 World Cup 2024 as well.
The finalists of the 2022 edition, were defeated by the USA in their first match and then lost a game they should’ve won against India. While they did defeat Canada and Ireland, Pakistan was knocked out of the World Cup group stage after the Ireland v USA match in Florida was rained out.
Mohammad Hafeez, a former Pakistan player, went on a tirade against the squad when speaking with Michael Vaughan and Adam Gilchrist. He recalled catching multiple Pakistan players sleeping in the dressing room during a Test match in Australia.
“You tell me, Gilly, if a player is sleeping in the dressing room and we are playing Test cricket. 4-5 players are sleeping in the dressing room, should I allow that as a team director?” Mohammad Hafeez said on the Grand Prairie podcast.
Although the question was asked to Gilchrist, Vaughan replied with a laugh, “Are they tired?”
Mohammad Hafeez explained, “I really don’t know. I went into the dressing room and found 4-5 players are sleeping in the dressing room while playing Test cricket. I was like, “how come you guys can do that?” If you do something like this, you cannot be a part of this team. I want you guys to stay focused during the game and off the game, whatever you guys do, it is your own life, I never get involved in it.
But in the professional timings of the game, I want you guys to focus on the game. Stay in touch. If you are a fast bowler, you can have a rest and a good ice bath but you need to concentrate on the game of cricket, like how the other team is also doing. You cannot switch yourself off during the game, but unfortunately, the media didn’t like it,” Mohammad Hafeez further added.
Here is the video:
Hafeez just told 4/5 players were sleeping in the middle of a test match, that's 2 are batting so that's 4/5 players awake. pic.twitter.com/74mJAozfuy
— Zak (@Zakr1a) June 20, 2024