Mohammad Hafeez back in national squad; to catch earliest flight for Australia series

Not long ago, Mohammad Hafeez was out of favour and was sidelined and eventually ignored for the high-voltage Asia Cup. But Pakistan did so badly in the tournament that the veteran all-rounder found an opportunity again to return to the national side which will take on Australia in a Test and T20I series this month.

A veteran of 50 Tests, 200 ODIs and 83 T20Is, Hafeez has scored over 11,000 international runs and picked up 239 wickets since making his debut 15 years ago, Hafeez reportedly did not fit in the plan of coach Mickey Arthur and was frustrated after failing to get a single game in Pakistan’s July series against Zimbabwe.

It was also reported that though chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq was not in favour of axing Hafeez, he had to give in before Arthur’s stand. Inzamam, however, said that the 37-year-old all-rounder was among the players that Pakistan were considering to pick for the next year’s World Cup in England and Wales.

Hafeez to catch the earliest available plane to Dubai for Australia series

After the Asia Cup debacle, it seems things started to happen faster for Hafeez. According to reports in PakPassion, the Pakistan Cricket Board  (PCB) came up with the announcement that Hafeez is back into the Test squad which is scheduled to play two Tests against Australia. He was set to travel to Dubai, where the first Test will start on October 7, on the earliest available flight.

The last time Hafeez featured in a Test for Pakistan was in August 2016 against England. His last ODI appearance was against New Zealand in January this year and T20I appearance against Australia in July.

Pakistan’s team selection came under sharp criticism after their forgettable Asia Cup campaign in which they were thumped twice by India and also lost to Bangladesh in a crucial game that they needed to win to make the final. Sarfraz Ahmed’s side can now hope that Hafeez’s inclusion will give some solidity to both the team’s batting and bowling.

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