Hafeez returns to Pakistan Test squad after two years out
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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday added veteran cricketer Mohammad Hafeez to an already sizable 17-member squad for the upcoming two-Test series against Australia.
While the Aussies had picked a standard 15 players for the series that begins October 7, Pakistan had raised a few eyebrows with its squad announcement by naming two more players than their counterparts in their squad.
The Inzamamul Haq-led selection committee today inducted Hafeez into the squad today, taking the roster's strength to 18.
The decision comes as a surprise also because the 37-year-old Hafeez last played the five-day format for Pakistan in 2016, and at his age international cricketers generally tend to focus on the shorter formats.
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On DawnNews
Comments (36) Closed
Oct 01, 2018 02:31pm
He must master his revised bowling action so that he is not banned again.
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Oct 01, 2018 02:33pm
Stupidity has no boundaries!! I cannot believe Inzimamul decision to bring Hafeez back along with Wahab Riaz. Pakistan is definitely going backwards !!
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Oct 01, 2018 02:43pm
He was dropped from the Asia Cup squad for note being fit, Surprisingly he's now fit for the 5 Day format :)
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Oct 01, 2018 02:43pm
This is y Pakistan cricket is getting degrading coz management has no clear-cut policy for future.instead they should have invested this home series in youngsters.
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Oct 01, 2018 02:46pm
That's the bench strength or Plan B for Pakistan - Hafeez, Shoaib, Wahab Riaz etc
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Oct 01, 2018 02:51pm
Ridiculous decision.
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Oct 01, 2018 02:54pm
This is a case of you rub my back, I will rub yours. While great bowlers like Junaid warm the bench, people like wahab riaz who are club level, get into an international eleven again and again. Pathetic, mr pm please take not.
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Oct 01, 2018 02:57pm
Good in these conditions. But he must play down the order as he plays spin well.
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Oct 01, 2018 03:36pm
Shows uncertainty in the minds of the selectors...
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Oct 01, 2018 03:38pm
We are living in interesting times .
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Oct 01, 2018 03:40pm
What a joke. Get ready for another series of single digit scores from this guy, with suspect bowling action he cannot bowl either.
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Oct 01, 2018 03:42pm
So pak should bat with 9 batsmen whenever he is in team... this is 2 steps back... no chance to have good pak team if Hafeez and Shoaib are our options....
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Oct 01, 2018 03:54pm
Just to complete the usual Chorus, Why Fawad Alam is not selected, AGAIN.
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Oct 01, 2018 04:15pm
Happy birthday in advance for October 2018 series. He will be 38 but his special skill will be bowling that won icc champions trophy and t20 world cup
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Oct 01, 2018 04:24pm
Finally a good decision by PCB selection team!
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Oct 01, 2018 04:33pm
Selection Committee will not search new players and will stick to these old and failed 10 to 15 batsman. Next time Abdul Hafeez and Wahab Riaz will be dropped and rejected ones will be selected.
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Oct 01, 2018 04:51pm
Pakistan is heading towards a humiliation in UAE, in test series..
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Oct 01, 2018 04:55pm
@Umair Karim
Well he wont remain unfit for life, would he?
Though i agree someone new should have been given the chance,
Fawad alam should have been bought back
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Oct 01, 2018 05:01pm
Great decision he should’ve never been excluded from the team and from Asia cup squad particularly he gives Pakistan a great edge in bowling he should bat down the orders for quick runs he’s an excellent all rounder
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Oct 01, 2018 05:10pm
What folly? The height of embarrassment. I have no problem with the individual. Is this best Pakistan can produce? Good grief!
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Oct 01, 2018 05:15pm
Welcome back to the green-shirts test squad. If selected, this is by far, his last and final opportunity to prove his credentials and worth as a global test level all-rounder cricketer.
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Oct 01, 2018 05:16pm
A good and a handy player.
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Oct 01, 2018 06:06pm
Pakistan has spend many years in Hafeez without gaining much reward. And finally when he started to deliver team management dropped him. Its time to get max advantage from his experience. I' am not sure about test matches, but in ODI Malik and Hafeez would be crucial for Pakistan batting in World cup.
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Oct 01, 2018 07:01pm
Why add another as a late thought. Who is being obliged? If he was fit for place why bend the tradition of 15 squad by stuffing 2 more?
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Oct 01, 2018 07:12pm
PCB has lost the plot, unimaginative,this guy has time and time again proved how incompetent he is,either people in Pakistan have lost all desire to play cricket or Hafeez just captured a Jinn to help him in holding a cricket bat!
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Oct 01, 2018 07:14pm
He should had been included in limited overs squad not test. Ridiculous decision.
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Oct 01, 2018 07:59pm
Bad decision!!!
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Oct 01, 2018 09:14pm
Inzimam doesn't care if he selects 17 players as he is not paying for extra two players. What about austerity drive.
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Oct 01, 2018 10:06pm
His parchi is larger than team or PCB selectors have no backbone or plans!
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Oct 01, 2018 10:11pm
This move manifests the paranoia of Inzi . He is worried about his own job after a total failure in Asia Cup.
He failed to select 4 top order confident batsmen and good physically fit spinners. He selected only one full time spinner who got injured and fast bowlers were not supposed to do well on those wickets anyway.
If our batsmen can not play on dead wickets of UAE , how will they do good on those fast wickets internationally. Even Bangladesh was more confident this time.
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Oct 01, 2018 10:51pm
@dean I agree and that is why Inzi is not suitable for the rule he is in, since these positions require strategic and critical thinking which Inzi lacks big time. His decision to bring back Wahab and hafeez confirm it already. We need to move forward and give this team some time to settle instead of bringing back past failures. God help us
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Oct 02, 2018 12:10am
Great decision because he should retire from test cricket on high notes .
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Oct 02, 2018 01:12am
Hafeez is not a test player, he struggles against pacers like Stein from south Africa. Hafeez is an ODI and T-20 player. Selection committee keeps making the same mistakes. I want hafeez to play for pakistan but as an ODi and T-20 player.
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Oct 02, 2018 05:42am
As a neutral indian fan, pak vs aus will be a good series, pak are fav but i guess matches will be much closer as i feel reverse swing will be a big factor and starc, hazlewood as well as pak pace bowlers are proficient in this.
it will boil down to how each's middle order prolongs the game by playing attritional cricket and concentrating more on singles and 2's rather than the flashy shots. I hope we get to see good cricket and good comments rather than the usual one upmanship and belittling the opposition-i request my fellow indian fans not to indulge in this.
good luck to pak from an indian fan..peace
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Oct 02, 2018 10:11am
for test matches best squad for UAE pitches. azhar ali,imam,haris suhail,fawad alam, asad shafiq,hafeez,sarfaraz,shadad, yasir,abbas & Junaid Khan.
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Oct 02, 2018 10:17am
He needs to be a permanent part of the ODI and T20 teams too.
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