Former cricketer Mohammed Hafeez has criticised the 17-member squad picked by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand. The PCB brought back Mohammad Amir as well as Imad Wasim into the squad while picking a few uncapped players, based on their performances in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). 

The five-match series gets underway on April 18 and will be played in Rawalpindi and Lahore. However, the former opener was not pleased that players toiling hard in the domestic setup were not given preference by the board. He took to his X (formerly known as Twitter) handle and gave a short and crisp take on the state of things. 

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Fast bowler Amir and allrounder Wasim were recalled to the squad after they ended their disagreements with the board. 

Amir last represented Pakistan in international cricket in 2020 before opting to retire and focus on T20 leagues while Wasim announced his retirement in November 2023. 

Apart from the two, PCB has also included uncapped middle-order batter Muhammad Irfan Khan and opener Usman Khan in the squad, saying they both earned the nod from selectors following their impressive performances in the PSL. 

“We hold great optimism and belief in their potential to become key impact players, yet recognise that this requires ongoing dedication and effort,” said selection committee member and batting coach Mohammad Yusuf. 

Hafeez bitter about director stint?

Hafeez’s statement could be understood as during his short stint as the team director, he attempted to rejig the culture, which included asking Babar Azam to bat down the order, for the benefit of the team. However, his ideas did not go down well with the board and his contract was terminated prematurely. 

“I accepted the new role as a director PCB with great passion to make positive reforms but unfortunately my designated tenure which was offered by the PCB for 4 years was cut short for 2 months on the account of new chairmanship,” Hafeez said after being axed. 

Squad:

Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Zaman Khan.

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