Mohammad Hafeez steps down from PCB's cricket technical committee amid ODI World Cup preparations

NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan cricket captain, Mohammad Hafeez, has announced his resignation from the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) cricket technical committee. This development comes ahead of the upcoming ODI World Cup, following a review meeting that assessed Pakistan's performance in the Asia Cup, where the team faced defeats against India and Sri Lanka.
During the two-day review session, several key decisions were made.Pacer Zaman Khan and spinner Abrar Ahmed are now in line to replace the injured Naseem Shah and allrounder Faheem Ashraf in the final 15-member World Cup squad, which is set to be announced on Friday.

Hafeez expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to serve as an honorary member of the committee and offered his continued support to Pakistan cricket. He stated, "I decided to leave Pakistan cricket technical committee. I served as an honorary member. I would like to thank Zaka Ashraf sb for giving me this opportunity. I'm always available whenever Zaka Ashraf sb needs my honest suggestions for Pakistan cricket. My best wishes for Pakistan cricket as always."
The review meeting was convened by PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf, following Pakistan's disappointing performance in the Asia Cup. It was attended by key figures in Pakistan cricket, including captain Babar Azam, head coach Grant Bradburn, Chief Operating Officer Salman Nasser, Head of International Cricket Usman Wahla, and former skipper Misbah ul Haq. Team director Mickey Arthur, along with the bowling, batting, and fielding coaches, and vice-captain Shadab Khan, also participated in the meeting.
However, the controversy surrounding the absence of chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq at the review meeting has continued to escalate. According to a reliable source close to Inzamam, the former captain chose not to attend the meeting because he believed it was not the right time for such an exercise.
Inzamam expressed his disagreement with Chairman Zaka Ashraf's decision to hold a review meeting and subject Babar and Bradburn to uncomfortable questions from Misbah, Hafeez, and other board officials. Inzamam, a highly respected figure in Pakistan cricket, believed that this was a time to boost the team's morale instead of questioning their abilities.
Despite not attending the review meeting, Inzamam did meet with Zak Ashraf to seek final approval for the World Cup squad after the meeting concluded. Inzamam's presence at the World Cup is part of his contract, and he has also travelled with the team to India in his previous tenure as the chief selector from 2016 to 2019.
The review meeting saw only two changes made to the squad that played in the Asia Cup. Additionally, the PCB has given the chief selector and captain the option to select one or two players as travelling reserves for the World Cup, with opener Shan Masood expected to be one of them.
(With PTI inputs)