Former Test captain Mohammad Hafeez expressed his delight at being appointed the team director of the Pakistan cricket side and asserted that they would strive for excellence together. He has been given the responsibility of reshaping the national team after Pakistan's league stage elimination in the World Cup. Hafeez will also be serving as a coach and he will be consulted when the PCB appoints the new support staff of the team for the forthcoming tours to Australia and New Zealand. (Cricket News | ICC World Cup 2023)
"I am honoured and excited to take on the role of Team Director for the Pakistan Cricket Team. I would like to thank PCB for trusting my abilities and giving me this challenging responsibility," Hafeez said. "But, I am committed to work collaboratively with the coaching staff and players to contribute to the team's success. Together, we will strive for excellence and bring happiness for our passionate fans," Hafeez added in a statement released by the board.
It is the first time that the board has named a director for the national team. In 2019, the PCB had appointed Misbah-ul-Haq as the head coach and chief selector with absolute powers. However, after a year, he stepped down from the post of chief selector. Besides Hafeez, the PCB on Wednesday also appointed Shan Masood as the new Test captain and Shaheen Shah Afridi as the T20 team skipper. The board added that the captain for the one-day format would be decided later.
The decisions came after Zaka met with outgoing captain Babar Azam and the Pakistan team management in Lahore to hear from them the reasons for the team's poor show in the Asia Cup and World Cup, where the side failed to move beyond the league stage. Babar, after the meeting, announced his resignation as captain on his social media account, having rejected an offer by the PCB to just lead the side in red-ball cricket. He was appointed the skipper in 2019.
Hafeez was also called by the board chairman to discuss any changes in the squad ahead of the World Cup. Although he and Misbah-ul-Haq had suggested some changes, Babar and former chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq rejected them, insisting on retaining the same players. Hafeez announced his retirement from international cricket last year in January.
