Mohammad Hafeez dismisses speculation he is after permanent captaincy; backs Azhar Ali

[SL_Fan]

Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has rubbished speculation that he is in the running to take over from Azhar Ali as Pakistan’s ODI format on a permanent basis.

The 36-year-old Hafeez, as stand-in captain, led the Men in Green to an impressive win over Australia in the second ODI in the absence of Azhar, whose hamstring injury has ruled him out of tomorrow’s third ODI as well.

Hafeez’s 72-run knock coupled with the team’s victory has given birth to the idea that he should take over the armband permanently from Azhar, whose leadership has been under scrutiny for some time.

On the eve of the third ODI, Hafeez shut down a reporter who enquired if he has any designs on succeeding Azhar, declaring that Azhar is the team’s captain and everyone in the team wants him back.

“I think talking about captaincy here is irrelevant. Our captain is Azhar [Ali], and we want him back in the team as soon as possible,” said Hafeez.

“I always believe that every player in the team has to back whoever the captain is, as it is about the Pakistan team, and not any individual. Azhar’s captaincy is improving day by day, which he showed in the West Indies series as well.”

Hafeez further said that the team’s morale has received a huge boost following their first win at the MCG against the hosts in more than three decades.

“Our confidence is high after the win,” said Hafeez. “We are playing very good cricket and the team is focused on the job in hand. We know we have to perform in all departments.”

The Sargodha-born also praised left-arm pacer Junaid Khan, who made a stunning comeback to the national team after a gap of more than a year.

“We were looking forward for his performance, and he delivered,” he added. “We knew that he is capable of performing in any conditions. Hopefully, he will continue to perform well, and we will continue to support him.”

Hafeez also hinted that Pakistan’s XI in tomorrow’s match could be unchanged from the side that defeated Australia three days ago, which means there will be no place for pacer Wahab Riaz.

“We are happy with the team’s combination,” he said. “We haven’t yet had a chance to look at the pitch, but we have some idea about what team combination will be tomorrow.”

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[Madplayer]

I will only say one thing. Hafeez knows how to speak to media. No matter what he actually wants, he hardly ever says something which can be considered uncalled for.

 

[Arham_PakFan]

He is a really smart guy.Always knows what to say at what time.Also no surprise there that the team is unchanged.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

If he is not after the captaincy then should be asap. That will be better for Pakistan.

 

[MightyObnoxious]

I can confirm this. Haffez and Azhar are best friends. Both together took the decision to boycott Amir and both hang out a lot togather. Don't think Haffez will do anything to unsettle Azhar. But If Azhar resign himself for his friend then it's another thing.

 

[Syed1]

For the betterment of Pakistan cricket Hafeez SHOULD be after Azhar's captaincy.

PCT is not the business of doing charity to anyone, team seems to be gelling well under Hafeez and in just one match looked miles better than it did under Azhar for one and a half year. Azhar has had his fair chance and he did not impress at all, he should be the bigger man and resign from his post voluntarily.

 

[zn426]

For the betterment of Pakistan cricket Hafeez SHOULD be after Azhar's captaincy.

PCT is not the business of doing charity to anyone, team seems to be gelling well under Hafeez and in just one match looked miles better than it did under Azhar for one and a half year. Azhar has had his fair chance and he did not impress at all, he should be the bigger man and resign from his post voluntarily.

This all sounds well and good, but I wonder how much of this is due to the one game switch and a lack of understanding by the opposition of Hafeez's tactics. Sarfraz did this against England too in the T20I, granted he completely embarrassed WI, but that was a really weak WI side.

If I had to pick I would go with Sarfraz first. He's younger, he seems to exhibit a lot of the same leadership traits, and he's never had disciplinary issues or been banned.

 

[Speedster777]

We have no future with defensive and one dimensional captains like Misbah and Azhar.

 

[Arham_PakFan]

We have no future with defensive and one dimensional captains like Misbah and Azhar.

So we have a future with Hafeez,who is(officially) 36?He is a better captain than Azhar,sure,but he can only be a stopgap solution till the CT at the latest.

 

[super hitter]

So we have a future with Hafeez,who is(officially) 36?He is a better captain than Azhar,sure,but he can only be a stopgap solution till the CT at the latest.

if he can captain till 2019 WC with a good form...he must go on...But I think he'll never be able to reform his skills. It has only been one match so far, and people are all out to praise him...needs to perform consistently!

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

if he can captain till 2019 WC with a good form...he must go on...But I think he'll never be able to reform his skills. It has only been one match so far, and people are all out to praise him...needs to perform consistently!

One match where he would have been out for a duck if Smith hadn't dropped a sitter.

 

[Haz95]

It must be so depressing for a Pakistani fan seeing Mohammed Hafeez who was out of the side for god knows how long returning to captain. Same thing with Azhar Ali the ODI player lol.

 

[super hitter]

One match where he would have been out for a duck if Smith hadn't dropped a sitter.

was dropped a total of three times man!!! thanks for remembering

 

[StreetSmart]

Wow people who were questioning his selection a few days back are backing him now

 

[Speedster777]

So we have a future with Hafeez,who is(officially) 36?He is a better captain than Azhar,sure,but he can only be a stopgap solution till the CT at the latest.

I've always said we should have a young aggressive captain. Hafeez can be a temporary captain but long term should be sarfraz or imad. Azhar ali is not a player of odi cricket he should limit to test cricket.

 

[Syed1]

So we have a future with Hafeez,who is(officially) 36?He is a better captain than Azhar,sure,but he can only be a stopgap solution till the CT at the latest.

I don't care whether Hafeez is 36 or 56, as long as he helps Pakistan win.

People and faces don't matter, it is the team that matters. Azhar was given more than a fair chance and he DID NOT HELP THE TEAM WIN. Hafeez with the same side managed to end a 16 match losing streak.

Why is it that we are ok with 42 year old Misbah as captain but have problem with 36 year old Hafeez?

Like I said, people and faces don't matter. Bring another younger captain who helps the team win and I'll be equally happy.

Winning is everything.

 

[Zohaib Shah]

Hafeez is a gem. I honestly camt understand the fact why our think tank takes so long to make decisions like these?

 

[Seamer]

Hafeez is the right man to lead this team he should be captain till 2019 world cup with Sarfaraz or Imad Wasim as his vc

 

[Midwinter13992]

Azhar is solid player in tests but his style of play is not suitable for ODIs..Hafeez is too old to be permanent skipper..Sarfaraz Ahmed is quality ODI batsman plus he has experience of captaincy at junior level... Management is wasting his batting talent by making him bat so low..He can be ideal opening partner for Sharjeel..Imad also has captaincy experience so can be perfect deputy for Sarfaraz...

Starting XI for champions Trophy should be like this :-
Sarfaraz Ahmad (c/WK)
Sharjeel Khan
Babar Azam
Umar Akmal
Shoaib Malik
Mohammad Hafeez
Mohammad Rizwan
Imad Wasim (vc)
Mohammad Amir
Wahab Riaz/Junaid Khan
Hasan Ali/Sohail Khan

 

[Markhor]

The mood swings on here are incredible. After the England series in the summer Hafeez was persona non-grata, now he's our leader for the next World Cup.

The captain first and foremost needs to justify his own place in the team. This was the issue when Shoaib Malik was Test captain in 2007/08, his authority was constantly compromised by the fact he never merited a place as a pure Test bat.

Hafeez's batting is suspect against lateral movement and at 36, his reflexes against pace will be challeneged. Personally, I've thought Hafeez's ODI batting in Asia since his return in 2010 has been excellent but everyone knows his limitations outside Asia. On the other hand, we've badly missed his accurate off-spin controlling the opposite RR during middle overs.

I'd still persist with Sarfraz as the future captain in all formats, he is younger and does justify his place in the side albeit his keeping must improve. Hafeez can provide his tactical input as vice captain.

 

[cricketInsight]

I have not been a fan of Hafeez the batsman but he been largely responsible with his words.

With his bowling back he does become an easy selection in ODIs & T20s though as a batsman alone he may not make the cut. He needs to bat lower in the order to account for his weakness at the top of the order especially with the Champions Trophy in mind.

I wont make him the captain though - his time is passed. Let Azhar run till CT and then make a decision to move to Sarfraz(not Hafeez or Malik at this age).