Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez has questioned the appointment process for Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman.
Hafeez, who recently announced his decision of retirement, also raised concerns on the current domestic cricket future after the abolishment of departmental and bank teams. Hafeez is currently playing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) where he is representing the Lahore Qalandars.
Hafeez speaks
“The present process is not correct because presently the chairman PCB was elected under a selection system and the procedure for selection of PCB chairman is not right. The PCB chairman comes on political grounds and the chairman who comes politically does not understand cricket at all,” Hafeez said in a conversation with Geo News.
The PCB has been ragging with internal conflicts in recent years. PCB chairman Ramiz Raja, who was a part of the 1992 World Cup-winning Pakistan squad was nominated to the governing body. His nomination was supported by current Pakistan Prime Minister and close friend Imran Khan, who was also the captain of the Pakistan team in the 1992 triumph. Hafeez was not in the favour of the appointment as he believes a proper election procedure should have taken place to appoint the PCB chairman.
“I represented Pakistan with great pride, and whatever I have played throughout my 18 years, I played with dignity. And whether it’s on the field or off the field, I tried to raise Pakistan’s flag high. I am very happy and satisfied with my career and achievements, which were all for Pakistan. So this is it for me,” the veteran added while speaking on his cricketing journey.
The 41-year-old former Pakistan batsman- Hafeez , was also not in favour of PCB, as the board decided to abolish the departmental and bank teams from the domestic circuit. He believes that the decision taken a couple of years ago could hamper the progress of young cricketers and could leave the majority of them jobless. According to him, the PCB should reconsider its decision and reinstate the teams.
Hafeez in PSL
On January 30 (Sunday), Hafeez played in a PSL match against Karachi Kings and the right-handed batsman scored 24 runs off 21 balls as his side Qalandars secured a 6-wicket victory in the game. His innings was comprised of 4 boundaries.
