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You do throw up some gems now and then.
A very mediocre cricketer, who was lucky to have played for Pakistan at a time when they were desperately short of genuine match winners; wasn't good enough to play test cricket; yet remained adamant that he was; wasn't good enough to occupy the vital cog of number 3 in testing conditions ; yet remained stubborn that he was good enough and refused to drop down the order; a good T20 batsmen who could play well in that format; bottler under pressure.
A self-made professor, who often tried to go above his weight but was found miserably lacking in that aspect.
A utility cricketer for Pakistan ,who perhaps played in the right era to hide his mediocrity.
How does that sound?
Hafeez is a very good, honest all rounder.
He is the most economical bowler in the world, he bats well in his favored conditions, got 9 and counting ODI hundreds. All this is enough for me to class him in the very good all rounder category.
He can't do a job in Testing conditions, but which Pakistan batsman has or can?
The great Saeed Anwar was a walking wicket vs Australia, South Africa and NZ away in their territory.
Inzamam and Moyo hid from the new ball all their life.
Ijaz was a hack who came off once in blue moon.
Tell me one number 3 in the country today who can do a job in testing conditions?
Hafeez is a better all rounder than Hafeez and is better than Razzaq who has been living on past glories since 2004.
Give me a list of the world class all rounders we've have had. People act as if we have been really rich in that department.
Only Imran Khan stands out.
Hafeez is not a world class player even remotely but he is not that bad as people make him out to be.
I fully agree with your sentiment that he has tried to push above his weight many times and was found lacking.
There is no denying that Hafeez is a sorry cricketer when push comes to shove and he was born in the right era but he has done enough for me to cite him as a very good all rounder.
Call it a gem or whatever, we cannot agree on everything.