"This win against England will definitely boost our confidence" : Mohammad Hafeez

[MenInG]

Mohammad Hafeez speaking at end of the match against England

Everyone was believing that we could do this , that we can win the games

We were playing very good cricket but we weren’t winning the crucial stages of the game

To be honest we were all very confident (before this game), we practiced very well yesterday and we had a good meeting together, and we knew we needed one good performance from one player and then everyone else would contribute along with him

The batters did a great job to put up a very good total

I was just trying to play my natural game; the first ball that I hit for 4 was in my mind a way of putting pressure on the bowler straightaway; some times you have to take calculated risks and they really worked for me this time

Whenever we come to the UK we always get good support, they really back us every time - it’s like a home to us; Thank you everyone for coming in large numbers and hopefully wherever we go it will be the same.

This win will definitely boost our confidence, as winning the game always gives you something extra and I believe this is a very happy dressing room and hope it will remain the same

 

[Mueez]

You played beautifully today!

Take a bow Hafeez Sobers.

 

[Pakistani tigers]

Well played indeed...selfless, focussed and team oriented

 

[PakLFC]

This is why I like having Hafeez in the side. He is a quality batsman who can effectively turn his arm as well. If defeating the hosts and favourites doesn't give them confidence then nothing will.

 

[MenInG]

Q. Do you think England were maybe a little bit complacent against you, especially having beaten you 4-0 last month?

MOHAMMAD HAFEEZ: I don't know about them, but I know about myself and I know about my team. We were very confident to coming into this game. We know in the last series we played here, we were not where be but we should win a couple of games, but we lost in the crucial stages of the game, and we know in this format, we can score 340-plus on this track. It will be a very difficult score to chase on because the ball and the pitch was supporting the seamers and also it was not coming on to the bat.


Q. What did you make of the pitch?

Yes, it's a good, good pitch, but still, there was something for the bowler, also, and especially for the spinners. So I believe we got that runs in our mind we really wanted to achieve, and then the bowlers did a good job to restrict them.


Q. How do you explain the turnaround from 105 all out against the West Indies to 348/8 against England in the space of two matches?

MOHAMMAD HAFEEZ: Well, I can only describe like it was total self-belief. Everyone was really looking forward to doing something in this game. Yes, we played a bad game the first against West Indies, but we knew as a team we are very much capable to win the matches for Pakistan. So we really had a good meeting the day before, we really expressed -- we expressed some of the good things for each of the players -- we really gave confidence to each of them [each-other], and that really worked today, and we could see everyone really expressed themselves, and that really worked for Pakistan today.

Credit : ICC

 

[Sirris]

Standing ovation for Hafeez from me.

Most thrilling and exciting world cup match by Pakistan I followed yet

 

[Pete Rose]

Well played hafeez.

 

[MenInG]

What a difference three days make for Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez.

Against the West Indies he cut a disconsolate figure, bowled out for just 16 and kept kicking his heels in the field as his side slumped to a seven-wicket defeat.

Fast forward to a clash with England and he was all smiles as the world number one side suffered a 14-run ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup defeat, ending Pakistan’s 11 match winless streak.

Hafeez’s 84 with the bat proved decisive while he claimed the prized scalp of England captain Eoin Morgan in a lively spell with the ball.

It was a win celebrated long into the night by Pakistan supporters, who’d witnessed their team on the wrong end of four defeats in their series with England last month.

Revenge is a dish best served when it really matters.

“I don’t know if England were complacent but we were certainly confident,” said Hafeez, who was dropped on 14 by Jason Roy, a catch he’d normally take one-handed with both eyes shut.

“In the series with England we thought we were close, even if the matches didn’t go quite our way. We made some crucial mistakes at crucial times but that didn’t happen today. England made the mistakes and we were very consistent.

“It’s a feeling of total relief. After the game against the West Indies we were really looking forward to this match and putting things right.

“We know this team is very capable we just needed to start converting some matches into wins.

“We had a really good meeting after the West Indies and we put right everything we discussed. I’m very proud of how we expressed ourselves.”

Hafeez’s runs - and Babar Azam’s 63 - helped Pakistan to a score of 348-8, after England had won the toss and unleashed their fastest bowlers.

But while that tactic worked for the West Indies, Pakistan were clearly in no mood to make the same mistakes twice.

“We knew we could set them a good score,” added Hafeez. “We knew we could really make them chase and there was something on this track for our bowlers too. We never lost the belief in this team.”

Wahab Riaz, recalled to the Pakistan team for this World Cup, was the pick of their bowlers, giving England a taste of their own medicine with some 92mph pearlers.

He claimed three wickets, including the prized scalp of Jonny Bairstow, as England’s openers struggled for the second consecutive match.

“We needed that, after losing 11 games, that’s a very big win against a very good side,” he said.

“I said after the West Indies match that we would bounce back - and hats off to the boys.

“There was a lot of pressure on our batsman after the West Indies performance but they did brilliantly. They gave the bowler a target to defend and those early wickets of Bairstow and (Jason) Roy were key.”

 

[jewel1985]

Nice one Hafeez, keep it up.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="in" dir="ltr">Alham du Lillah &#55358;&#56626;&#55356;&#57340; Pakistan &#55356;&#56821;&#55356;&#56816; Zindabad <a href="https://t.co/TCNaf1WhtU">pic.twitter.com/TCNaf1WhtU</a></p>— Mohammad Hafeez (@MHafeez22) <a href="https://twitter.com/MHafeez22/status/1135628108495818753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[CrIc_Mystique]

hats off to the professor sahab...well played and good interview as well...all the best from an indian fan

 

[hadi123]

Good to see people giving Hafeez the praise he deserves. Don't see many people pulling out the "he was dropped early on in his innings" card. Great innings by one of our most consistent players in recent times.