PCB unlikely to hand long-term contract to Mohammad Hafeez - Reports

In a recent development that might or might not come as a shocker, the Pakistan Cricket Board following an internal discussion has decided not to offer a longer rope/contract extension to former national team captain Mohammad Hafeez, who is currently overseeing the proceedings of the country’s cricket as the team director, as per reports in TOI.

Mohammad Hafeez took over as the Director of the national back in November last year right before the Green Army’s 3-match Test series in Australia. His appointment was also made to ensure improvement in their quality which saw them bow out of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India from the group stages itself.

For the 3rd consecutive edition since the 2015 edition, Pakistan failed to reach the knockout stages of the tournament which has been limited to just 3 knockout matches including the finale. Before the 2019 edition, there were quarter-finals before the semis and the final showdown but since the England edition, the CWC has been played more like a league.

And that could be a factor behind Pakistan’s failure to reach the semis right from the group stages. But nonetheless, that cannot be the sole reason for the poor outings and they are in dire need to improve their cricketing conditions if they want to achieve something significant this year.

That can happen only if they resolve the ever-growing tension within the Pakistan cricket board, which is once again in the news after interim chairman of the board Zaka Ashraf stepped down from the role. But that’s not the update. The update is that Mohammad Hafeez who is holding the position of team Director without a salary for the last month is likely to not get extended.

Hafeez was part of an internal discussion held in Lahore which also had acting chairman Shah Khawar and CEO Salman Nasser. In that meeting, it was discussed that even though Ashraf had ensured that PCB would keep Hafeez as team director for the next 3 years, at the moment it is unlikely to happen.

The Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination, which is overseeing the PCB will take their time to review and then update Mohammad Hafeez about his contract extension. It is also being said that the new PCB chairman’s opinion will also be taken into consideration.

“The Response He Got Was Not Very Encouraging”, PCB Source Indicates Mohammad Hafeez To Not Continue As Director

The Pakistan cricket team faced consecutive setbacks, enduring series losses in Australia and New Zealand, marking a challenging initiation for Team Director Mohammad Hafeez in his first two major assignments.

The outcomes have raised concerns within the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which is discontented with the team’s recent performance. The string of defeats has prompted discussions about potential changes in the team structure. The PCB is signaling towards a possible overhaul to address the underwhelming results.

“Hafeez also reminded Nasser that his dues from the tour should be cleared no matter what the ministry or incoming chairman decides. Hafeez showed interest in continuing as director of the team but the response he got was not very encouraging,” the PCB source said as quoted by TOI.