Hafeez, who served as both director and interim head coach from November 2023 to February 2024, expressed his concerns during an interview with former cricketers Michael Vaughan and Adam Gilchrist on the Club Prairie Fire podcast.
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He recounted an incident where he discovered several players asleep in the dressing room during a Test match, stating, “You tell me, Gilly (Gilchrist) if a player is sleeping in the dressing room while we’re playing Test cricket. 4-5 players are sleeping in the dressing room. Should I allow that as a team director?”
He stressed that players’ personal lives were their own, but during designated team time, complete dedication to the game was paramount.
“I went into the dressing room and found four-five players sleeping in the dressing room while playing Test cricket. I was like, ‘How come you guys can do that?’ If you do something like this, you cannot be a part of this team. I want you guys to stay focused during the game and off the game, whatever you guys do, it is your own life, I never get involved in it. But in the professional timings of the game, I want you guys to focus on the game,” added the former Pakistan all-rounder.
Mohammad Hafeez and Michael Vaughan together at last on Club Prairie Fire.
Hafeez’s tenure as Director of Cricket ended on February 15, 2024, marking a mutual parting of ways with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
His time coincided with a challenging period for Pakistan cricket, with a 3-0 Test series defeat to Australia and a 4-1 loss in the T20 series against New Zealand.
In the T20 World Cup 2024, Pakistan faced consecutive defeats against the USA and India, leading to an early elimination from the tournament.
