Director of Cricket and Head Coach of Pakistan Cricket Team Mohammad Hafeez has reportedly introduced a strict rule for players in the ongoing tour of Australia. The Shan Masood-led team is currently playing the second Test of the series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
According to Pakistan Cricket reports, it is learned that Director of Cricket Mohammad Hafeez has told the players that if anyone appears lazy or lethargic on the field, he will fine them. The former Pakistan captain will sanction players who do not give 100% on the field with $500
Reports have suggested that most of the Pakistan players are not happy with Mohammad Hafeez’s decision and are not happy with the development. Although there is no official confirmation about this, it seems to be true because the Pakistan team has seen quite a few changes in the system since the ICC World Cup 2023.
Latest News Fakhta has told that the team manager has given a warning to the players during the Australian tour and has clearly said that no player will sleep on the floor and will not be separated from the team…otherwise…. The Mr. Thanedar will also fine the players $500 😏🤔 #PakistanCricket… pic.twitter.com/wYNOOG8mGm
— Qadir Khawaja (@iamqadirkhawaja) December 26, 2023
Mohammad Hafeez’s strict act comes after Pakistan’s torrid exit in the first Test against Australia in Perth, where they suffered a crushing 360-run defeat. The side led by Shan Masood looked down and shook the dust and were impressed.
Pakistan looked clueless with both bat and ball in the game. After a torrid outing with the bat, they were expected to keep things tight with the ball. But it wasn’t like that, as they also seemed rusty with the ball and were also careless on the field.
Pakistan’s body language was not very good and they dropped quite a few catches as well. They did not give their best in the field and that was one of the main reasons behind their average first innings exit.
With Mohammad Hafeez imposing strict restrictions, this could well force the players to give their best in the next two matches. Pakistan are in a do-or-die situation in the series as one more loss would mean another loss in the series in Australia. They have not won a series in Australia for more than two decades.
PAK vs AUS: Pakistan ends Day 1 of the MCG Test on a decent note
Pakistan had a decent outing on Day 1 of the 2nd Test against Australia at MCG. They won the toss and chose to play first. The pacers bowled some impeccable lines and lengths up front and troubled the Australian batsmen early on. However, they couldn’t pick wickets early on with the new ball.
Usman Khawaja (42) and David Warner (38) negotiated the difficult phase well and added 90 runs for the opening stand. But both lost their wickets after a decent start. After that, Marnus Labuschagne (44*) and Steve Smith (26) worked hard.
But at the end of the day, Smith lost his wicket. Hasan Ali, Aamer Jamal and Agha Salman picked one wicket each as Pakistan restricted Australia to 187/3 at stumps on Day 1. They would hope to pick early wickets on Day 2 and get Australia out at the earliest. This will be a decisive virtual series for the Shan Masood-led team and they would expect a comeback.