Former Pakistan skipper Mohammad Hafeez has raised questions over the selection of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in the national cricket team, pointing to their continuous poor performance in recent years.
Speaking on a local YouTube channel, Hafeez clarified that key players are those who win matches and in recent years, both Rizwan and Babar have failed to deliver match winning performances.
“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 year and a half to two years, the players showing consistent performance are Salman Ali Agha, Saeem Ayub and Hasan Nawaz. Why aren’t we talking about them? They are the current players winning matches for Pakistan,” he said.
Hafeez also questioned Babar and Rizwan’s place in the team, saying they need to justify their spots as players.
“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,” he remarked.
He advised both to regain form and criticised the performances of Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi as well.
“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.
Hafeez emphasised that Pakistan cricket does not need big names but players who can perform consistently for the next decade.
“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,” he noted.
He further criticised players for failing Pakistan cricket on the field while having strong PR campaigns on social media. Hafeez urged the PCB to take action.
“If we want to improve Pakistan cricket, those in the AC rooms and those executing plans on the ground must address these issues promptly,” he concluded.
