Standing by him: Hafeez throws his support behind new skipper Azhar
Off-spinner believes captain is often let down by support cast rather than other way around
Former captain Muhammad Hafeez feels that it is not the skipper who is at fault but the people who fail to lend their support to the man in charge. PHOTO: File/AFP
KARACHI:
Pakistan cricket’s history is filled with cases when an unpopular choice of captain has backfired and there have even been revolts as well to get rid of the skipper.
However, former captain Muhammad Hafeez feels that it is not the skipper who is at fault but the people who fail to lend their support to the man in charge.
Hafeez was speaking to reporters in Lahore during the opening day of the short training camp before Pakistan fly out for the tour of Bangladesh on April 13 when he said he feels new skipper Azhar Ali is the right man for the job.
“It’s a very good decision of the Pakistan Cricket Board to appoint Azhar as the ODI captain,” he said. “I believe the captaincy has never been a problem in Pakistan, rather supporting that captain has been the issue.”
Hafeez added that he stands by Azhar and hopes the rest of the country does so too. “We need to support the captain as a team and as a nation,” he said. “I’ve always been a fan of Azhar’s qualities and he has proven himself in Test cricket and hopefully he’ll prove himself as a captain as well as in ODIs.”
‘We aren’t underrating Bangladesh’
Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib alHasan had sounded out a warning for the men in green by stating that this is the best chance Bangladesh have of beating Pakistan and Hafeez stressed that Pakistan will not take their opponents lightly when the two teams clash.
“Bangladesh have won hearts with their cricket in the World Cup and by qualifying for quarter-final,” said Hafeez. “We are not underrating them because we know that they are good in their home conditions and have improved as a unit in the last three years.”
He was quick to add that the Pakistan team with its new players cannot be underrated as well because the upcoming players have proven themselves at different levels of the game and they are ready to take on the challenge.
Hafeez hopeful of clearing reassessment
The 34-year-old all-rounder will undergo a reassessment on his bowling action on April 9 in Chennai and he is optimistic to clear the test so that he is can resume bowling duties.
“I have worked a lot on my bowling action for the last four or five months,” revealed Hafeez. “We all feel that I can clear my action now which is why a date has been taken from the International Cricket Council. Unfortunately, I couldn’t clear my action before the World Cup because of the injury.”
The off-spinner said that he has not added any new delivery variety into his repertoire. “I haven’t developed any new ball,” he said. “I never changed anything and was bowling similarly for the last 10-11 years. My effort would be to clear my action under new protocols.”
He also said that everyone missed Misbahul Haq and Shahid Afridi in training now that the two have retired from the 50-over format.
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Pakistan cricket’s history is filled with cases when an unpopular choice of captain has backfired and there have even been revolts as well to get rid of the skipper.
However, former captain Muhammad Hafeez feels that it is not the skipper who is at fault but the people who fail to lend their support to the man in charge.
Hafeez was speaking to reporters in Lahore during the opening day of the short training camp before Pakistan fly out for the tour of Bangladesh on April 13 when he said he feels new skipper Azhar Ali is the right man for the job.
“It’s a very good decision of the Pakistan Cricket Board to appoint Azhar as the ODI captain,” he said. “I believe the captaincy has never been a problem in Pakistan, rather supporting that captain has been the issue.”
Hafeez added that he stands by Azhar and hopes the rest of the country does so too. “We need to support the captain as a team and as a nation,” he said. “I’ve always been a fan of Azhar’s qualities and he has proven himself in Test cricket and hopefully he’ll prove himself as a captain as well as in ODIs.”
‘We aren’t underrating Bangladesh’
Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib alHasan had sounded out a warning for the men in green by stating that this is the best chance Bangladesh have of beating Pakistan and Hafeez stressed that Pakistan will not take their opponents lightly when the two teams clash.
“Bangladesh have won hearts with their cricket in the World Cup and by qualifying for quarter-final,” said Hafeez. “We are not underrating them because we know that they are good in their home conditions and have improved as a unit in the last three years.”
He was quick to add that the Pakistan team with its new players cannot be underrated as well because the upcoming players have proven themselves at different levels of the game and they are ready to take on the challenge.
Hafeez hopeful of clearing reassessment
The 34-year-old all-rounder will undergo a reassessment on his bowling action on April 9 in Chennai and he is optimistic to clear the test so that he is can resume bowling duties.
“I have worked a lot on my bowling action for the last four or five months,” revealed Hafeez. “We all feel that I can clear my action now which is why a date has been taken from the International Cricket Council. Unfortunately, I couldn’t clear my action before the World Cup because of the injury.”
The off-spinner said that he has not added any new delivery variety into his repertoire. “I haven’t developed any new ball,” he said. “I never changed anything and was bowling similarly for the last 10-11 years. My effort would be to clear my action under new protocols.”
He also said that everyone missed Misbahul Haq and Shahid Afridi in training now that the two have retired from the 50-over format.
Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.