Mohammad Hafeez, the Team Director at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has parted ways with the organization, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Reports from Geo News suggest that tensions between Hafeez and the newly-appointed PCB Chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, escalated when Hafeez requested a meeting to present his report on the recent cricket tour of Australia and New Zealand, which Naqvi allegedly did not accommodate.
Sources close to the situation indicate that the PCB administration has shown little interest in continuing to work with Hafeez, leading to the decision to end their association. Hafeez had taken on the role of Team Director in November of the previous year.
Hafeez, a former Test captain with an impressive cricket career, having played 55 Tests, 218 ODIs, and 119 T20Is, accumulating a total of 12,780 runs and claiming 253 wickets.
Furthermore, there have been reports of strained relationships between Hafeez and some senior players during the recent New Zealand tour. Allegedly, players were unhappy with Hafeez’s prolonged meetings and what they perceived as an authoritarian approach to team management.
The tension escalated over the issuance of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for players participating in various cricket leagues. While NOCs were readily granted to star players for the Indian Premier League (IPL), Hafeez reportedly hesitated when approached for NOCs for the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), potentially endangering players’ contracts.
Insiders within the team suggest that if the current issues between Hafeez and the players are not resolved, the relationship may further deteriorate.
