Razzaq lashes out at Hafeez for World T20 semi-final snub

E-Paper | June 08, 2026

Abdul Razzaq takes part in a Pakistan training session in Colombo with Sohail Tanvir. Razzaq was replaced by Tanvir in the World T20 semi-final against Sri Lanka. – Photo by AFP

LAHORE: Veteran all-rounder Abdul Razzaq hit out at Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain Mohammad Hafeez for dropping him from the team in the semi-final of the World Twenty20 2012 against Sri Lanka, DawnNews reported on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters upon his return from Sri Lanka, Razzaq said that he was very disappointed after being left out of the playing eleven in the crucial match on Thursday. He was replaced by left-arm pacer Sohail Tanvir in the match that Pakistan lost by 16 runs, allowing Sri Lanka to enter the final of the ICC event.

“It was Hafeez’s decision not to pick me for the semi-final, not anyone else’s,” Razzaq said.

Razzaq vented his anger on the captain by saying that he felt helpless when he saw the team losing against Sri Lanka but couldn’t help as he wasn’t picked in the team.

“Even Wasim Akram insisted that I should be picked for the match against Sri Lanka, but Hafeez decided against it,” Razzaq said, adding that Hafeez thinks of himself as being a better captain than Akram.

The Lahore-born all-rounder went on to say that the Sri Lankan team were wary of his presence in the Pakistan eleven for the semi-final.

Razzaq played one match during Pakistan’s World T20 2012 campaign, when he was picked in the Super Eight tie against Australia. He scored 22 runs in the match. The all-rounder was also part of the team in the two warm-up matches prior to the tournament.

The right-arm batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler made his debut for Pakistan in 1996 and has played 265 one-day internationals, 46 Tests and 30 T20 internationals for his country.

He was also part of Pakistan’s WorldT20 2009 winning squad.

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iqbal

Oct 07, 2012 07:01pm

poor / intentional team selection , Hafeez needs to be axed.. bring in Hammad Azam/ Junaid Khan Ahmed Shahzad and get rid of Yasir Arafat/ Kamran Akmal/Sohail Tanvir/Imran Nazir (these guys never click when needed the most). O God please give PCB common sense !!!

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mohammad wahid

Oct 07, 2012 03:50pm

No need to criticize Hafeez as he led the team throughout the tournment,the entire team is to be blamed for this defeat

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Raja

Oct 08, 2012 02:08am

Yes! It was Afridi who gave confidence to Hafeez in the World Cup last year.. Forgot that already? Afridi should be respected and not treated the way many Pakistani's are talking about him and asking him to retire..

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Raja

Oct 08, 2012 01:53am

Hafeez has not done enough to become captain either!

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Raja

Oct 08, 2012 01:57am

Deepak, what if no one in the management or captain is willing to listen to Razzaq, who would he turn to in that condition? Sometimes using media is a requirement, at least that's how we got rid of Ijaz Butt!

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Raja

Oct 08, 2012 02:00am

In the real world experience matters more than anything else.

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introspecteeve

Oct 07, 2012 08:38am

Abdul Razzaq should complain against only one person i.e. himself. Where as Kallis who almost started cricket with him is a legend, Abdul Razzaq allowed his game to have a nose dive. Whereas players in the world improve as their careers progress, Pakistani players seem opposite of it. What comfort Abdul Razzaq can provide to team? He bowls lollies at about 115-120 kphs and can only bat in last 5 overs and that too against fast bowlers. IMO, Abdul Razzaq is the only one to blame not Hafeez. He should have been legend by now but he never improved his game instead allowed it to fade away.

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Raja

Oct 08, 2012 02:01am

What if 'proper channel' is not willing to listen to him (nothing new).. Who does he turn to in that case?

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ali wadood

Oct 07, 2012 06:27pm

I guess he s too old now, should be retiring, because he could not end up as a captian, then his performance is not consistant. But he was better for this tournament.

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zulfe

Oct 07, 2012 12:51pm

well, actually too much planning for future has hurt Pakistan cricket more than not planning for future. Pakistan has a history of breaking combination of in form players with new comers. When the new comers fail they try to bring back the old combination again but then the can't perform.

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Nadeem

Oct 07, 2012 03:54am

Razaq deserved the place instead of Malik then.....

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Nadeem

Oct 07, 2012 03:56am

he still has it in him and played a good hand against India. Then why dropped him insteadof Malik.

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Nadeem

Oct 07, 2012 03:52am

Younis is a good test batsmen but he himself retired from T20. and I am sure struggled a lot in that T20 format. T20 format requires a genuine stroke players or sloggers, Younis is none of that. However, I agree that all seniors should be respected, and Razaq time and again proved that he belongs to both shorter formats. Not sure though why Hafeez persisted with Malik.

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Ahmed

Oct 08, 2012 06:43am

I think there is a reason for stop-start career of Abdul Razzaq since 2003. One thing is for certain that he is not good fielder and does not posses a very sharp mind. I would back Hafeez at this time. Remember we need stability in the leadership in Pakistani team. Other teams have also stuck with their less than ideal captains resulting in transformation of the team in a matter of few years due to stability and continuity of policies. I believe Razzaq, Afridi, Nazir, Arafat and Malik are all items of past. We should look beyond them now.

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iqbal

Oct 07, 2012 06:30pm

thats a incorrect statement that Razzaq cannot bowl like he used to he is medium pacer and is only 32 people need to stop putting such statements !! Hafeez is a lanti captain he should be axed Sohail Tanvir is a sifarshee pithoo!!! just like Yasir Arafat these are all unknown alrounders who we dont recall have brought any game winning performances in the past get real and get your stats right please !

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Harris

Oct 07, 2012 12:47pm

Are you kidding me? He's still one of the greatest hitters, remember the 2010 game against South Africa? Even in this T20 cup he smashed the Aussie bowlers, what are you talking about?

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Nadeem

Oct 06, 2012 03:19pm

Razzaq was hard done. He deserved a place in the both shorter formats. Professor is not really a great captain. Playing against India exposed him. He was out manuevered by Dhoni. Why he kept selecting Shoaib malik after repeated failures. Sohail Tanvir selection for semi final was correct though, and he proved it. However, Razzaq is an automatic choice and should have been selected instead of Malik. Why Asad Shafiq was selected and not played in any game? Having said all that, Razaq should not bring out dirty laundry and should use the proper channel to address this.

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Luqman

Oct 07, 2012 02:12pm

Absolutely right. He is not a showman and delivers more often than not. We have couple of non-performers in the team who should have dropped instead of a performer.

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Nadeem

Oct 07, 2012 04:00am

Sorry capt sahib. Hafeez is not that bad that people will loose interest in cricket because of him. I agree he is not the greatest captain but he still is a great player

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masood

Oct 06, 2012 02:59pm

I was very surprised that Razzak was not picked, its a shame that we have to face politics even at the team level and that will be the downfall of Hafiz's captaincy. Not selecting Razzak and then his performance at semi final also need to be investigated, why he was hell bent to loose his wicket when we had advantage to our favour half way through the game.

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Sultan Alvi

Oct 07, 2012 12:47am

Sorry Deepak, Cricket is no longer a gentlemen's game, it is all money, money, money, my friend.

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SALEEM

Oct 07, 2012 12:40am

I agree , Imran did oky, He could have done better, if he was allowed to play free and His game. Feel real bad for Razzaq, we have wasted some very good seniors including Razzak. Razzak is winner and still is.

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Dr Ahmad

Oct 07, 2012 12:36am

I totally agree and support what Razzaq said and he had every right to say so. When you play for Pakistan, you play for your country and Hafeez, Malik and Afridi failed the whole team. Afridi is a total failure and must be dropped from all sorts of cricket. Razzaq is a man winner player and if PCB has any trategic vision, they must appoint Razzaq as T20 and one day captain.

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iqbal

Oct 07, 2012 07:09pm

absolutely, I even think Kamran Akmal needs to kicked out too he never performs when needed, Warm up game against India was an exception

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Syed Shahzad

Oct 07, 2012 12:15pm

Hafeez is not good capatain

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Shoaib

Oct 07, 2012 10:01am

I think any World XII will pick Abdul Razzaq any day for any 20-20 match, he is such a gifted player

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Syed W. Ali

Oct 07, 2012 03:45pm

I do feel that Shoaib Malik continued to be the spoiler in the team. I can't justify his selection, period. He is the new Imran Farhat in the team. As much as Mr Zaka Ashraf talks about progress, let's see if he addresses this funk in the middle order by emphasizing performance-based selection.

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Hassan

Oct 06, 2012 06:01pm

All of you who are commenting on what would have been a perfect strategy, when are you going to learn that we have a mediocre team that does well on occasion and we all start thinking that somehow they are world beaters. You know very well that even if Razzaq was in the team and Malik was not, the result would have been the same. Razzaq is not good at playing spin and rate would have been too much for him to do anything. We lost fair and square is what I am saying.

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cric_pot

Oct 07, 2012 03:13pm

what are you talking about. UAE T20 against Australia. Hafeez didn't let Razzak bowl the entire match and then gave him the crunch final over. Also made him bat in the super over. Where are you dude.

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a khan

Oct 06, 2012 03:42pm

I remeber Razzak's innings in dubai when he scored 100 runs and won the one day match againt best team south africa hitting sixes of morne morkel steyn. Hafeez never played the best all rounder in the semi final a blunder. Hafeez is not a captain's brain.

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nauman

Oct 06, 2012 03:43pm

he is Right 100 % . hafeez is jealous with him.

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Talha Masood (@talhabmasood)

Oct 06, 2012 03:45pm

Razzaq has always been a Cry-baby........! you should learn to respect your captain whatever decision he takes.....its your job to back it......

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impala

Oct 07, 2012 01:09am

Past doesnt count. Razzak and Afridi have served the term. Time to install new talent.

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Syed

Oct 07, 2012 01:12am

We have seen how Hafeez tried to captain the side, he is not matured yet. Before we "lecture" Razzaq on media manners, know where he is coming from, he has been part of some great victories, and his experience cannot be challenged, so when he thinks he could have made a difference, you can bet on it !!!

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Topa

Oct 07, 2012 01:37am

Razzaq is a world class middle order batsman with lots of successful international experience especially at T20 and 1 day internationals. He was a major reason why our middle order and lower order clicked in the 2009 T20 world cup that Pakistan won. I hold both the captain and the coach responsible for this profound error in a critical must win semi final match of world cup where Pakistan did not put the best winning combination team on the field rather on purpose kept a potential match winner on the sidelines. Razzaq delivered in the previous game against a very strong AUS side with a quick 22 run at faster run rate than almost all batsmen in the team which was probably the reason that Pakistan run rate was better than India and pushed us into semi final. We should have learnt from the mistake of not including Razzaq against the India match which if we had also won like the AUS match would have resulted in us avoiding Sri Lanka possibly till the finals. Younis Khan was objective in his selection criteria and rewarded with the only T20 World Cup win. Razzaq plays spin and fast balling better than most because of solid and technically correct batting soils. I think we should demote Hafeez and get Misbah back as T20 captain.

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saad malik

Oct 07, 2012 02:17am

e should have been picked but he should not wine in public now. LIFE IS UNFAIR

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Abdul Malik

Oct 07, 2012 06:41am

Why should'nt Razzak vent his genuine grievience. if he feels betrayed by Hafeez? He (Razzak) has all the right to let the public know the truth.

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Mustafa

Oct 07, 2012 07:05am

A Razzaq should have been selected in place of Shoab Malik, as AR is a better allrounder and better finisher than SM.

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Aamir

Oct 07, 2012 05:22am

Guys, everything is 20/20 in hindsight. I was surprised that Abdul Razzaq did not play in the semi finals. It is all over now so lets move on. Hafeez made a decision and that should be final. We all need to respect that. One thing for sure is that the entire Pakistan was very disappointed with their performance. It just didn't look like they were playing a semi final. We just need to move on and hope our team learns and gets better.

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Khurram

Oct 07, 2012 05:23am

Its about time he should speak. He has been a subject to injustice throughout his career and failing to make it to the final 11 in spite of his several match winning performances. If only he knew someone higher in the board. Such a shame And how many players in the team have given match winning performances ? When has Hafeez, Shoaib, Suhail Tanvir, gave a match winning performance. Never Even when we went to super over against Australia, who did Hafeez turned to? That's right Razzaq, because he knew he has the confidence and ability to win it. Hafeez knows it too, but its just dirty politics.

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Suhair

Oct 07, 2012 04:04am

From the looks of it Hafeez's captaincy it is dictatorship. No explanation why Abdur Razzak was dropped and why Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik were picked. It looks like my way or highway. Not thinking like a TEAM'S captain.

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Aziz

Oct 07, 2012 04:05am

Absolutely right.

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Oct 07, 2012 03:39am

The arrogance of Hafeez has cost Pakistan the T20 championship. The guy is fake professor! No IQ or EQ, period! It is time for Afridi to retire a pay attention to his business empire; one of the big reasons he is not performing on the field!

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ysk

Oct 07, 2012 07:14am

Probably dropping Razzaq was one of the better decisions taken by Hafeez

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G.A.

Oct 07, 2012 04:13am

You ever hear any other team doing their dirty laundry in public??? You players are the ambassadors of this nation. For God's sake keep your disagreements in the team locker rooms.

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Oct 07, 2012 04:22am

He probably is the only honest man in this team and that is why he was left out.

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Sreeni

Oct 07, 2012 04:15am

Very true. The match was very interesting though it was a low scoring one and once shoaib malik and afridi were out, i expected Razzaq to walk in as this man has the talent and the expertise to turn things around. That's when i realized that he was not in the playing eleven and concluded that the match is over. For sure, there would have been a closer fight or a win for pakistan if razzaq had been there in the playing eleven

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Aziz

Oct 07, 2012 04:27am

Someone explain what Hafeez sees in Afridi and Malik. Afridi is no longer a match winner. When was the last time he scored or lasted more then 2 overs. When was the last time Shoaib Malik performed. These are our match losers.

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Ghalib Khan

Oct 07, 2012 04:27am

Well it was a kind of a strange decision to drop A.Razzak in such a crucial match,, I think Hafeez showed give an explanation for this decision, Chances were given to players out of form through out the tournament the player who is performing left out,

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Yawar

Oct 07, 2012 04:30am

Razzak's performance against Australia did not warrant him not getting selected. Although he should have been selected before Yasir Arafat a long time ago. In any case, national players should always take the high road, espeicially when they are near to the end of their careers. They should not worry about being selected or not because they are not playing for a club but for the country. I hope Asad Shafiq takes the high road and not complain. His opportunity will come. And hopefully he will prove his doubters wrong.

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Yawar

Oct 07, 2012 04:34am

Who would replace Hafeez? Afridi?

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Tariq K Sami

Oct 07, 2012 09:58pm

Time to get rid of half the team including Hafeez.

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Yawar

Oct 07, 2012 04:42am

If Imran Khan, Waseem Akram, or even Afridi were to be the captain and had dropped Abdul Razzak would he have complained? Definitely not. A captain has to command respect. Some of this is God-given. But a lot also depends on how fair and supportive a captain is towards his players.

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Arif

Oct 07, 2012 05:35am

Razzaq is one of the best all rounders we have. I think he is a victim of politics within our team b/c of which we will never be able to win crucial matches. Razzaq was not used properly in the last 50 over world cup either. He was usually sent when only 4-5 overs were left. And when the team came back, he was dropped, reason given....he did not perform well!...oh cmon!, give the guy a break, he was never given an opportunity. Replacing Razzaq for Sohail Tanvir??? seriously??? what was hafeez thinking. And why wasn't Afridi dropped???? he has not been performing for more than 6 months!

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Oct 07, 2012 05:38am

Razzaq's credentials speak for themselves. Think for the country. He has the right to object. Pakistan would have been in the FINAL if the Captain had put his high-headedness aside for the BENEFIT of the country. This is our NATIONAL delima, mon cher.

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Arif

Oct 07, 2012 05:39am

Bro, Its not about whining, here we have a powerful hitter of the ball, one of the best all rounders, who is not being given an opportunity. He has every right to be frustrated and every right to ask for justification. And if he has been dealt with unjustly, he has every right to voice it out too. High time, some one choses a team based on merit and not inmate favourism.

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Zafar Ihsan

Oct 07, 2012 06:57am

Razzak has every right to complain. He's an experienced campaigner. It was Mr. Boom Boom who should have been dropped as he is no longer a match winner.

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Bakhtiar Wain

Oct 07, 2012 06:22am

Whatever the case, a player has absolutely no right to crticise his captain or team in public. Razzaq is no Pietersen or Tendulkar; even they would not be allowed to talk to like that so he should just be quiet.

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Mohammad Faizan (@faizy09)

Oct 07, 2012 12:01am

such an immature interview: 1) We have lost many matches from winning positions even when razzaq was in the team 2) Its a gentleman's game, so act like one 3) Always respect a captains decision and support him no matter what 4) Claiming srilanka was scared of him is not being modest at all..though it might have been true but there is a way of saying it 5) Whatever the situation is, the fact remains that these internal problems should not be mentioned in public Razzaq you gave others a chance to laugh on us..very disappointing!

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Ovais Anzar

Oct 06, 2012 08:10pm

absolutely correct, very immature attitude shown by him. Things like this makes a team vulnerable. An experience player should atleast know what to say in public !!

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Zain Quaid Khan

Oct 06, 2012 08:06pm

Razzak is right. Anyone who says that his time is up, doesn't know anything about cricket. Micheal Hussey's age is 39 and he's still a match winner. Cricket is about match winners. Razzak has been one of the best all-rounders of all time. Better bowler than afridi any day and of course his batting is as fierce as it can get. Hafeez is not a very smart captain to begin with. He is no different than other captains who succumb to pressure situations. And that was evident by his face in the semi finals. He some how managed to score some runs but he was in no shape to do so. On the other hand Razzak is the most sane and cool headed cricketer Pakistan ever had. Razzak deserved to be T-20 Captain when T-20 was recognized by ICC but that didn't happened due to dressing room politics. There is no doubt Razzak is the best all-rounder for Pakistan team. Even if, he was sent as an opener, Razzak still would've scored more than any player. It's a shame a selfish player like afridi is favored by all ( I am saying selfish because he can't even stand on the crease and rotate strike in crucial times and just go on with hitting insanely from the get go, justifying himself by saying i can only play like this). Whereas, a sensible smart batsman as fierce as it gets is not supported by people and will eventually be wasted by dressing room politics and PCB.

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riz

Oct 06, 2012 08:44pm

I wonder why Junaid khan was not selected. I think he is better than Umar gul and Sohail Tanveer.

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abasyn

Oct 06, 2012 04:25pm

There is no problem with the selected side..it was batting and its recklessness which caused our defeat. Sohail Tanvir's selection was right. Razzaq can only compete with Malik in side. Razzaq cannot bowl the way he used to, and only a shadow of his glorious past in batting. We should back Hafeez. It was not a poor outing in all. Arguably Razzaq might deserve to be in side on more occasions but captain bashing is not acceptable. not at all!

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Rashid

Oct 07, 2012 02:36pm

Absolutely right. I was fearing before the team was announced that he might not make it into the 11. I have the feeling he is only selected in the team when we loose a couple of matches and the public is asking for his inclusion. But in the next match again he is missing and we see our "usual suspects (non-performers)" in the team. It really seems he is out of favour.

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azam

Oct 06, 2012 07:08pm

being a captain is big responsibility and no one can learn over night. PCB need and fan need to realize we need good habit and get good captain and vic captain can take over after 3-4 years of experience if pcb adopt this habit we could have good team. PCB must bring back Misbah back as a captain for next 18-24 month and let Hafeez learn from him the patient and other things and then he take over and he do the same with next vice it will give good feeling to captains because our captains do not go in good terms so far only Imran have gone rest of the captains pcb and kick them out

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Dr.MAHakim

Oct 06, 2012 09:01pm

Abdur Razzaq should have been included in the Pakistani team in the semi final of the ICC World cup, as he is an experienced cricketer,both as a bowler and very good batsman for this sorts of limited over game.He always make quick runs and Pakistan have won the game many times for his fast scoring many valuable runs for his country.

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Arif Khan

Oct 06, 2012 09:49pm

Razzaq is invited by all T20 leagues in the world with big money but what did we do with him in Pakistan...we asked him to warm the benches. Shoaib Malik wasn't bowling regularly in the tournament (I think he only bowled couple of overs against Australia), that means he was included in the team as a batsman; is Malik better batsman than Asad Shafiq?; or is he a better hitter than Razzaq? If he was included as a proper batsman, then Asad Shafiq should have replaced him and if he was included for his hitting, then Razzaq should have replaced him. I think Hafeez needs to give some explanation.

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Ammar

Oct 06, 2012 09:50pm

We must get rid of Afridi, Razzak is right I agree.

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KHURAM

Oct 06, 2012 10:31pm

I must say that Hafeez is only responsible for loosing this golden opportunity of winning the world cup. He picked up Sohail Tanveer instead of Abdur Razzaq. Pakistan need a captain who is brave and can handle pressure. Hafeez let us down against India and then against SL. My vote is with Abdur Razzaq. All those who are admiring Hafeez, for God sake, please wake up.

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Azam Chowdhry

Oct 06, 2012 10:58pm

They must get rid of Shoaib Malik, Afridi and Imran Nazir. Hafiz should not be the captain. Let Razzaq be the captain

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Muhammad Farooq

Oct 06, 2012 10:58pm

do the players of other international teams who are not included by the respective captains for a particular match behave the same way as this player is doing?

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Rahul

Oct 07, 2012 03:17pm

Now the musical chair start. Why after every loss you change your captain. There are so many captain in your team and no dedicated player. Dhoni losses 4 tests in England, 4 tests in Australia, ODI in England and Australia and T20 World Cup. Still he is the best captain in India. Why? we can see from his body language that he wants to give 200% for his country. Thats true captain and dedicated player which pakistan team is lacking.

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Syed W. Ali

Oct 07, 2012 03:42pm

Unacceptable indeed. Razzaq has no business speaking his mind out in public. Sohail Tanveer's selection clearly paid off. So, Hafeez has been vindicated. Razzaq could be a first ball out, we'll just never know.

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seriously

Oct 08, 2012 12:36pm

Uh no the Misbah school of thought is what has brought us back to respectability the last year and a half....stop finding faults in Misbah even when he's not playing, this is needed right now, we cant continue to have a gung ho mentality when we have no established or consistent performers. Razzaq should have definitely played over Mailk no doubt but public outbursts are never good.

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Munir

Oct 07, 2012 03:19pm

I do think Razzaq should have been selected in the playing 11, but I do not endorse Razzaq's outburst. The captain is there for a reason, its not appropriate to outburst like this. He should have vented his views to Hafeez in one2one or a one2one with the "management" instead of seeking sympathy from the media.

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john

Oct 06, 2012 11:50pm

common give the captain a break. If Razzaq were picked and had had a bad day, all you guys would be blaming the captain for picking him. I think Hafeez more about cricket and the team members than the people leaving comments here.

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Rashid

Oct 07, 2012 02:17pm

Razzaq should have been selected in place of any of these: - Afridi - Shoaib Malik - Sohail Tanvir - Imran Nazir

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Hasnain Haque

Oct 06, 2012 02:28pm

I think Razzaq has the right to be furious. He is a very experienced player who has played many winning innings. I cant say that the side picked for the semi final was the best side. Razzaq is an established batsman and a good bowler and he should have been picked.

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Arsalan Iqtidar

Oct 06, 2012 02:30pm

Such a familiar statement! I wish I could find one such word about Bailey! Disappointed!

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Capt C M Khan

Oct 06, 2012 02:32pm

You are correct Razzak....hafeez is no captain material and should ne changed before the nation looses interst in cricket. So sad.

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Luqman

Oct 07, 2012 02:10pm

Come one guys, if the captain takes a decision which is obviously wrong. Why not criticize it? It was/is a big big mistake to leave out Razzaq in T20 matches.

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Arif

Oct 07, 2012 04:12pm

Ajay bhayya, no doubt Hafeez is a good player, but being a captain, we have more expectations from him. If team selection depends on the whole team management, then i guess, our team management needs some growing up to do. During Imran Khan's time, i bet team management, couldn't enforce their decisions on him.

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Sahil Javed

Oct 06, 2012 02:46pm

He was the real reason why pakistan 2009 world cup. His inclusion in the team changed the tempo and Afridi started to perform. Hafeez is &@%@^% not to play Razzaq.

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hussain

Oct 06, 2012 02:47pm

we think razzzaq is right..he shoud aske selectors why he was selected?? only for warm up matches and what imran nazir did?? y don,t they droped imran ??these major mistakes always becomes negative end..

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mustafa

Oct 06, 2012 02:55pm

it time that Razak realise that he is a lost case like all baba's playing in Pakistn team. chief selctor should answere why 6 babas were included in the team/

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Ali

Oct 06, 2012 02:58pm

Tanvir proved his worth by bowling excellent openning spell.. We needed a fast bowler not a batsman in the match.. I think the decision of Hafeez was right to play Tanveer.

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MUHAMMAD

Oct 06, 2012 03:01pm

THAT,S THE ONLY REASON OUR SENIORS ARE NOT PERFORMING I AM NOT IN FAVOR OF AFRIDI BEING A CAPTAIN BUT IF U MADE HIM THAN LET IT BE A SAME WAY UNTIL HE RETIRES .HAFEEZ IS A GOOD ALL ROUNDER BUT NOT EXPERIENCED THAN AFRIDI ,RAZZAQ ,SHOAIB MALIK,OR ESPECIALLY YOUNIS KHAN.IF WE KEPT YOUNIS AS A CAPTAIN IN ALL FORMATS I FEEL HE COULD BE A GREAT CAPTAIN BETTER THAN AVERAGE BUT ITS BECOMING OUR NATIONAL BEHAVIOR TO DISGRACE ALL SENIORS AND NATIONAL HEROES WHEN THEY ARE RETIRING.

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Shahzad

Oct 06, 2012 03:03pm

Razzaq thinks he should be in the Pakistan team for life time. I wonder why Pakistan cricketers don't want to retire with respect? Razzaq & Afridi both should retire now.

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Saeed

Oct 06, 2012 03:10pm

Shoaib Malik why he in even in Pakistani team just forget playing eleven

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Zeed

Oct 07, 2012 02:00pm

Seriously we got to get rid of this Misbah school of thought captaincy Hafeez is seriously a bad captain

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Ismail

Oct 06, 2012 03:11pm

Besides, Hafeez made two blunders. one he should not have givne last over to Gul as there was no need to take wicket at that time. Pakistan should have saved runs which Gul gave. Second he should have sent Gul for batting earlier than Tanveer as Gul could change the game as he did during SA match.

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kabir

Oct 06, 2012 03:15pm

Imran nazir and shahid Afridi should be dropped as they are not doing well for the pak team and they should give way for the new comers.

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roomi

Oct 06, 2012 03:27pm

Although Razzak is absolutely right and should have been picked. Imran Nazir, despite all his flaws is second highest run getter in the tournament for Pak and still makes list of top ten run getters for all countries in the tournament. plus a strike rate of 150. Its the lower middle order ( Malick Afridi Kamran that have totally failed) see Tournament stats.

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arif

Oct 06, 2012 05:09pm

Its about time that some of the players retire with dignity.Players such as Afridi, Malik. K Akmal, they don't deserve to be selected. Kamran Akmal who has constantly let the side down with poor wicket keeping should never have been recalled. Afridi as a batsman has always been big disappointment and i think he should just retire with dignity. By appointing a foreign coach one would expect a fair selection of the side without any influence from out side but it doesn't appear that way.Mentally Pakistani players are very weak, thats why they can not handle pressure.

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skeptic

Oct 06, 2012 05:15pm

though i am not a great fan of hafeez at all on the contrary i think he is over rated as a player but razzaq is a bitter bitter man and any one who comes out in public and speaks against the captain needs to be sorted out. it does not matter whether hafeez is not as great a player as Waseem Akram but the fact is he is the current captain and Akram is not. Razzaq,Afridi,kamran,shoib all need to retire now.

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Ahmed

Oct 06, 2012 05:19pm

Sack yet another captain ? do you know the importance of consistency, continuity etc ? lack of these things have caused Pakistan cricket and the country pretty well.

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Ahmed

Oct 06, 2012 05:22pm

Fully Agreed !

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Jawwad

Oct 06, 2012 05:58pm

Sad to see the comment by Razzaq, grow up and for once act mature. Captain of the team made a decision and it is his accountability, and respect his decision. You are a good player and it does not mean you can lash out so immaturely.

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afzal khan

Oct 08, 2012 04:54am

Razaaq is abettor player then that no good sohail if Razaaq played it would made a big different to the game because he is a good all rounder.in Pakistan not what you know who you know.???

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Mohammed Ali

Oct 08, 2012 07:57am

The ultimate oppurtunist. Knowing that public sentiment is negative after the loss. He takes this oppurtunity to settle his score against hafeez. This is exactly the attitude that has lead us down the drain. How come we never heard from the likes of David Hussey questioning the captain or the management as to why he was not selected (he is the most expereienced T20 player in the Australian squad). This really shows that razzaq thinks he is bigger than the team. If one is a team player he sticks by the team in good times and bad times. Isnt he the same Razzaq who declared himself unfit for national selection and then went on to play Bangladesh premier league where he was bowling , batting at full throttle ?

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Iqbal

Oct 06, 2012 06:36pm

Razzaq is correct in saying he felt helpless while seeing pakistan loose. I also felt that if he was in the team we would have won like previous game.The game that umar gul was man of the match would not have won by pakistan without Razzaq making 20.s.

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Rashid

Oct 07, 2012 04:21pm

We should take a professional approach and only select the best in-form players. This is how successful teams do it. Forget the past glories and the name and fame. If someone is performing, he should be in the final eleven. Razzaq was, in my opinion, performing and a couple of others aren't.

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khuzaima

Oct 06, 2012 06:53pm

razzaq has been selected all by his own performance, so why to respect his captain when HE is wrong, players are paid by PCB and not by captain, so to follow the rule instead of to follow the footsteps of the captain

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Neer Nayan

Oct 06, 2012 06:56pm

Razzaq bhai was clearly, & most unfortunately, the most conspicuous absence from the crucial squad, for all the cricket enthusiasts! Personal grudges over team interests?

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Malik

Oct 06, 2012 07:30pm

Razzaq should have played in place of Shoaib or Tanvir. He won us the the second T20 in UAE with his bowling. His batting is better than Yasir Arafat's batting. And what is Shoaib Malik doing in the side? He is not better than Asad Shafiq or Razzaq. Junaid Khan is the best fast bowler Pakistan got and he wasn't even selected.

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Dr. Afzal

Oct 06, 2012 07:32pm

Yes, Razzak should have been chosen against Sri Lanka. What was the reason for not picking him even after scoring 22 in the previous match. Pakistans midle order collapse was the reason of semi-final loss and inclusion of Razzak would have been a strength to batting.

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Waqas Abbasis

Oct 06, 2012 07:39pm

He should atleast have been given a good chance to prove his metal

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Waqas Abbasi

Oct 06, 2012 07:41pm

He should have atleast been given a good chance to prove his metal!

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Talat Ali Hamdany

Oct 08, 2012 05:59am

Absolutely Razzaq should have replaced Shahid Afridi and some youngster should have replaced Shoaib Malik. These men have done wonders for the nation now it's time to go home. The cliche spent bullets comes to mind. It is because of this extra luggage that we lost, truly so. have a look at their performance. The captain only carries them around because he doesn't have the confidence to go it alone.

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amir

Oct 06, 2012 03:34pm

Razzaq will show same performance as Imran , Malik and Afridi did, even SPL , BPL and Big Bash he did nothing and i suprised he and yasir arafat selected on what basis.

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shadab

Oct 06, 2012 04:08pm

Everyone of us feels what Abdul Razzak has said is complete truth and reality. Mohammed Hafeez should be sacked as captain and also if to take Pakistan cricket on sky-rocketting, influence and corruption should stop. It was amazing why Shoeb Mallik and Shaed Afridi was picking continuousely despite their very poor performances.

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deepak

Oct 06, 2012 04:17pm

Mr Razzaq-- captaincy is not a coalition govt.. it's an idea which a person dreams to make his team win. If you don't show confidence in captain how can you show in his dreams. By having gone into public domain you have made your own team weak. Try to solve matter inside the door, its gentemens game show some sportsmanship.

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basharat ali

Oct 06, 2012 04:22pm

the induction of razaq in playing 11 was must.the role of hafeez looked suspecious and biased.

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Salahuddin

Oct 06, 2012 04:29pm

Hafeez made a big mistake of continously counting on doom doom Afridi. A Razzaq was always a much better choice as compared to Afridi in this tournament. Its a pity that players like A Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood have fallen victims of "under utilization" on the basis of disliking of their Captains. What a shame? Are we going to learn any lessons? At the end, Pak cricket is the loser.

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Uzair

Oct 06, 2012 04:30pm

players should not be allowed to just whine openly in media... A Razzaq is good player but he should be fined for this!

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Mahgul

Oct 08, 2012 05:45am

Agreed...

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Bilal Abdullah

Oct 06, 2012 04:41pm

Abdul Razzak is not required to prove about his skills. he is one of the most dangerous batsmen world of cricket acknowledges, he is an established fact. while Hafeez is on the move to prove.....

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Khurram

Oct 06, 2012 04:51pm

When a team loses everyone outside the team gets a mouth to speak. Captains have a plan and they do things around it. One of the two captains will be on the losing side. Players who question captains like this must be banned. If you have not done enough to become a captain the respect the captain.

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Abdullah

Oct 06, 2012 04:52pm

Well Razzak was backbone of the team against crucial win against Australia when he made 22 runs under pressure. If I may recall, Pakistan lost to Sri Lanka by 16 runs and certainly razzak could have managed to get those runs easily , if he would have been picked instead of Shoib Malik.

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zee

Oct 06, 2012 05:02pm

who do you have to replace our batting is struggling , Razzaq is 32 thats NOT retirement age. People need to get their stats right Razzaq is a superior player. At the moment we have no one in T20 and ODI that matches his level..

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Morad786

Oct 06, 2012 05:05pm

Agree...basic rule in Team Support!

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Dr Aamir Mastoi

Oct 07, 2012 09:47am

well, no one in the team is on merit in my opinion.i'm wondering, cricket is the only game that is being played on every street of Pakistan and PCB can not pick 11 good players from the whole nation.

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ayaz

Oct 06, 2012 05:31pm

Razzak should be part of the team.Imran Nazir and Shahid Afridi should be asked to leave for ever.

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ayaz

Oct 06, 2012 05:32pm

Razzak should be part of the team.Imran Nazir,shoeb malik and Shahid Afridi should be asked to leave for ever.

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Rashid

Oct 07, 2012 05:24pm

I would not second you thoughts of punishment. I was also badly surprised that Razzaq wasn't selected in the final 11 in most matches. Come on guys, someone with his credentials and his caliber should've been an automatic choice. What a waste.

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Salar

Oct 06, 2012 05:50pm

Now he's just being sore.

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Ammar

Oct 06, 2012 05:55pm

I think he is correct. However, the reason we lost is because we don't have a good pace attack --- Sri lanka can play spin very well but they don't know how to play pace. Where the heck are the pacers in Pakistan --- this should be our number priority to find young talent.

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Rashid

Oct 07, 2012 02:28pm

You right, we did not have good pacers. But Razzaq would have proven very handy with his medium-pacers on that track. Of course his power-hitting is always an asset.

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Imtiaz

Oct 07, 2012 08:13am

For big matches, experienced players deliver the result, like Gayle did. Razzaq is simple honest cricketer who hasn't mastered the art of flattery and Hafeez is a impressionable captain. Misba-ul-Huq would definitely picked up Razzaq. Why is Shoaib Malik in the team?

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akhter husain

Oct 07, 2012 07:39am

No captain will take decisions with the intention of losing a crucial match,though there may have been such captains in the past.It must be just an error..

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Sarah

Oct 07, 2012 07:43am

Through out the tournament I had this feeling that Hafeez has some problem with Razzaq. Dropping him in key matches, not giving him a chance to even bowl. Perhaps Hafeez had fear that Razzaq would emerge as a better all-rounder than him in the tournament. I am Hafeez picked him in match against Australia, hoping Razzaq would fail and that would give captain a chance to justify his decision to keep him out of other matches, Wish our players gave priority to the team rather than their personal interest.

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Ajay Bhat

Oct 07, 2012 09:56am

My dear Pakistani Brothers Hafeez is a talented crickter and over all a good human being. Team selection is not one persons decision whole team mangement is involved. My best wishes for Hafeez and i am sure you all will be proud of him one day. If sun is covered by clouds does it mean there is no sun in the sky hafeez will shine one day remember this.

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mustafa

Oct 07, 2012 10:30am

Razzak was a great player in his prime, i think that he did not have a place in the team. He should relaise that he is old now and must leave the cricket respectfully. I fully support hafeez for not including Razak in the playing 11 and Razzak should thank Hafeez for not exposing him.

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cricket loser

Oct 07, 2012 02:38pm

Whether Hafeez is bad captain or not, Razzaq has absolutely no business venting his frsutration in public. He is not bigger than team. Should be punished severely.

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Khan J

Oct 07, 2012 10:15am

Well, now that these oldies have had their chance, lets bring in the young guns. Not planning for the future has always been Pakistan's problem, hence the result. Why they kept picking Shohaib Malik, failure after failure is beyond me!

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Shankar

Oct 08, 2012 11:54am

Razzak is a great player, a genuine all-rounder, was the best in his hey-days. Totally unbecoming of him to criticise his captain. I am sure Afridi was chosen over him, because he is a spinner and has a far better track record against SL. Request all Pakistanis to stop the witch-hunt. Don't forget that the Pakistan team does not even have the opportunity to play in Pakistan. They are also a very young team. Cut them some slack!

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Pakman

Oct 07, 2012 11:35am

The PCB code does not allow players to talk to the media without permission. I am sure the PCb did not give him permission to tell the media how frustrated he was, regardless of whether his frustration is warranted. Such things must not be made public. He might be punished by PCB for this, and being a veteran, I am sure he knows this. I guess he thinks that he has nothing to lose which means he believes that he is never going to get another opportunity to play.

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hassan

Oct 07, 2012 12:18pm

No doubt Razzak has been a very good servant of Pakistan cricket but given the way the pitch was expected to play, it would been very difficult for Razzak to perform on the slow and spin conducive pitch. Nevertheless, Hafeez made a mistake of weakening the batting line up, as that had been a cause of concern throughout the world cup.

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