Mohammad Hafeez, recently appointed as Pakistan’s Director of Cricket, has underscored the imperative for players to prioritize national duties over commitments to franchise leagues. This stance is poised to influence central contracts, with players expected to demonstrate a commitment to representing Pakistan and participating in domestic cricket.

Hafeez’s elevation to the role of Director of Cricket is part of broader structural changes made by Pakistan in response to their underwhelming performance in the recent World Cup. Notably, Naseem Shah’s injury significantly impacted Pakistan’s bowling display, leading to fatigue concerns for key bowlers like Shaheen Shah Afridi.

See Also:Virat Kohli Set To Take Break From White-Ball Cricket,Expected to Return During IND vs SA Test Series

The Director of Cricket has been vocal about the necessity of workload management, particularly concerning limiting contracted players’ participation in numerous T20 leagues abroad. Expressing disappointment, Chief Selector Wahab Riaz highlighted the case of fast bowler Haris Rauf, who opted out of Test cricket in Australia to await a No-Objection Certificate for the Big Bash League.

Hafeez emphasized in a press conference that the priority for centrally and domestically contracted players is Pakistan, reinforcing the aim of ensuring their availability for national duty. He acknowledged the challenge of balancing international commitments, domestic responsibilities, and the allure of foreign leagues, citing past instances of fatigue and injuries during tournaments.

National Duty Takes Precedence: Mohammad Hafeez’s Directive for Player Commitment and NOC Policies

Looking ahead to the T20 World Cup, Hafeez outlined that the issuance of No-Objection Certificates for overseas leagues will hinge on national duty commitments for contracted players. The ongoing negotiations between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and players include discussions on the number of foreign leagues a player can participate in annually, with a tentative agreement of two leagues, contingent upon the issuance of an NOC.

Hafeez stressed that the NOC policy will align with Pakistan’s needs, prioritizing the fitness and availability of players for national duty. While acknowledging potential opportunities for players to participate in leagues, he emphasized that such considerations will be contingent on Pakistan’s requirements, particularly in the build-up to the T20 World Cup.

ASIA CUP 2022: India up until this point kept a 100% win record at the ongoing Asia Cup 2022. The Men In Blue set their campaign with a strong five-wicket victory over arch rivals Pakistan and carried forward the momentum in the second edition against minnows Hong Kong, whom they crushed by 40 runs. However, former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez isn’t very thrilled with one man specifically from the Indian camp, and it is the captain Rohit Sharma.

The ex-cricketer, who was a panellist on Pakistan’s PTV discussing the Asia Cup, offered his bold opinion on Rohit’s body language, which he believes is ‘weak’ and ‘confused’. His comments came after India’s win over Hong Kong on Wednesday night and a video of the same was shared by the ex-cricketer on Twitter.

“Body language ki maine baat ki thi, Rohit Sharma jab toss karne aaye toh yeh mujhe bahut weak lage, mujhe bahut ghabraye hue se lage. Mujhe confused lage, mujhe woh Rohit Sharma nazar nahi aa rahe jinko maine observe kiya hua hai match k andar, jinko humne dekha hua hai shandaar innings khelte. (If we observed Rohit Sharma’s body language during the toss, he was weak, there was bit of worry and confusion. I didn’t see the Rohit Sharma, which I have observed during the matches, who plays beautiful innings),”

the ex-cricketer can be heard saying in the viral clip

“Mujhe lagta hai Rohit Sharma ki captaincy inko bahut pressure de rahi hai, aur inke pass bahut si aisi mushqilaat ka saamna karna padh raha hai. Ek toh inki apni form abhi kaafi decline k taraf ja rahi hai. IPL bura gaya, uske baad jabse yeh international cricket khel rahe hain, abhi tak yeh iss format mein inka woh flow wapas nahi aa raha. (I feel captaincy is creating pressure on Rohit Sharma and he has to deal with numerous problems. His own form has taken a hit, IPL went bad and since his return to international cricket, especially in this format, I haven’t seen the flow returning) Bahut si baatein yeh keh rahe hain (He speaks about a lot of stuff), ‘brand of cricket, we will play positively’ but this is not reflecting by the team. Not reflecting by his own body language,”

he states further

Hafeez had strong opinions on Rohit Sharma’s captaincy abilities

The all-rounder, who represented Pakistan in every one of the three formats, also made a strong statement on Rohit’s future, saying that he doesn’t consider India’s premier batter to be a captain for quite a while. He expressed that either Rohit himself or the Indian ‘thinktank’ would have to take a decision soon, and guaranteed that the India captain’s performance has only plunged following his appointment as the team’s captain.

“Bahut lambi der tak mujhe nahi lagta Rohit captain ban sakenge. Kyunki apni form, aur jis tarah k cheeze unke saath chal rahi hain; jo mujhe nazar aa raha hai kyunki main bhi captain raha huun, mujhe bhi idea hai jab as a captain aapke upar pressure aate hain. Rohit ko maine dekha hain humesha enjoy karte hue, expressing himself, abhi main dekh raha huun he’s not expressing himself. Bahut zyada cheezo mein shayad khoye hue hain, bahut si cheezo ki pressure hain and I feel sorry for him. (I don’t think Rohit can remain a captain for a long time. Because he is struggling with his form, the things happening around. I can feel that because I too have been a captain. I’ve always seen Rohit enjoying and expressing himself and now he’s not. He looks lost, he looks under pressure and I feel sorry for him.)”

he continued

ALSO READ: BAN vs SL, Asia Cup: SL wins by 2 wickets!

“Ya toh yeh, ya phir inka koi thinktank kuch behtar faisla karein. Kyunki mujhe lagta hai yeh abhi bhi cricket khel sakte hain India k liye, achi perform kar sakte hain, lekin jabse yeh captain bane hain he went down. (Either he or his thinktank has to make a decision, because I feel he can play more cricket and contribute to India. But ever since he’s become the captain he went down),”

said Hafeez

WATCH: Hafeez: Besides Rohit & Virat, other Indian players can’t handle India vs Pak pressure