You have to do it: Sacked Pakistan team director Mohammad Hafeez recalls tough conversation with Babar Azam
Mohammad Hafeez
Former Pakistan team director Mohammad Hafeez has revealed that it took him two months to convinceBabar Azam to bat at number three in T20Is. Hafeez made the revelation after recently being sacked from his post of team director. Under Hafeez, Pakistan playedthree Tests in Australia and five T20Is in New Zealand. The Men in Green, however, lost both series but Babar flourished at number three in T20Is.
"It took me about two months to convince Babar Azam that you have to do it for Pakistan and you are not the first one who's doing it. You are a great player, you are a wonderful player and you are playing great cricket however you have to develop Pakistan team. You and Rizwan are very good players, excellent players but you are not the whole team. We need to develop a team and for that I want you to come at number 3 because you have been playing this role in the ODI cricket for last six years, so it won't affect you; technically you are very solid," Hafeez told a news channel in Pakistan.
After buying into Hafeez's idea, Babar scored 57, 66, 58, 19 and 13 in the five T20Is, but Pakistan lost the series 1-4 to New Zealand after losing the Test series 0-3 to Australia.
"Thank you very much to him that he accepted this and he played for Pakistan at number 3 which obviously I think is the best way to move," Hafeez said in acknowledgement to Babar.
Hafeez was appointed the team director after Pakistan's poor show in the ODI World Cup 2023. The former skipper's stint, however, was cut short from an initial four years to just two months after Pakistan's horrendous tour of Australia and New Zealand.
Pakistan had sacked the entire coaching staff after the team's disappointing performance in the 50-over World Cup held last year. The PCB also removed Babar Azam from captaincy in all forms and appointed two new skippers - Shan Masood for Tests and Shaheen Shah Afridi for T20Is.
