NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan team director Mohammad Hafeez revealed details of his conversation with star batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan during the recently concluded T20I series against New Zealand.
Pakistan managed to avoid a whitewash in the five-match T20I series by securing a 42-run victory in the final game, ending their tour with a 4-1 record. In the first three games, Babar displayed signs of returning to form after a lackluster performance in last year's World Cup and the Test series against Australia.
Against the Kiwis, he scored 57, 66, and 58 respectively, amassing a total of 213 runs with an average of 42.6 for the series. Hafeez emphasized the significance of every player's contribution in the team's success during his conversation with Babar.
"You are a great player, you are a wonderful player, and you are playing great cricket; however, you have to develop the Pakistan team," Hafeez said in an interview, as quoted from Geo News.
Former team director suggested Rizwan and Babar embrace positional changes. He appreciates Babar's talent but urges him to play at number three instead of opening for the team.
"We need to develop a team, and for that, I want you to come at number three because you have been playing this role in the ODI cricket for the last six years," Hafeez added.
Last week, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) parted ways with Mohammad Hafeez, who served as the director of cricket for the Pakistan men's team.
Hafeez was appointed Director - Pakistan men's cricket team in the aftermath of a disappointing ICC World Cup 2023 campaign. The side failed to make it to the semifinals and finished with just four wins. This saw several changes in the Pakistan leadership setup.
After Babar resigned from captaincy, Shan Masood and Shaheen Afridi were given leadership roles in the Test and T20I formats respectively.
(With ANI inputs)
