Former Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Hafeez feels labelling Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan as ‘key players’ would not be justified. Notably, Babar and Rizwan have been left out of the 17-member Pakistan squad for the upcoming Asia Cup. Neither of the two featured in Pakistan’s recent T20I series: Bangladesh (home), Bangladesh (away) and West Indies (away).
Hafeez proceeded with naming the likes of Salman Ali Agha, Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz as players who have contributed to the team and felt that the media should be pushing them more than they are at the moment.
“Calling them key players would be wrong and unfair. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are not Pakistan cricket’s key players at the moment. Key players are those who win matches for Pakistan. If we look at the past yea-and-a-half to two years, the players showing consistent performance are Salman Ali Agha, Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz. Why aren’t we talking about them? They are the current players winning matches for Pakistan,” stated Hafeez in a video posted on YouTube.
Hafeez grouped Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi in the same bracket as Babar and Rizwan, reckoning that they need to up their performances a fair bit.
“I think Babar and Rizwan need to be concerned about their positions in the team. They need to prove themselves as good players first; key players come later. Both were good in the past, but now they are not delivering results. Both need to be fully involved in the game, otherwise results won’t come. The same goes for Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi, they are also not giving match winning performances for Pakistan,” he added.
The 44-year-old observed that the prevalent issues plaguing Pakistan cricket can only be improved if the management and members of the Pakistan Cricket Board act on them.
“We should focus on players who can contribute for the next 10–15 years. Our media criticises one or two players and hypes one or two others, which is wrong. We need to talk about those who are actually performing. If we want to improve Pakistan cricket, those in the AC rooms and those executing plans on the ground must address these issues promptly,” noted Hafeez.
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