M HAFEEZ

M HAFEEZ

The greatest way to characterize Mohammad Hafeez is to lean forward with the high elbow giving way to a calm cover drive. When Hafeez is at work, a tuck or a clip off the pads looks as stylish. Additionally, flat darts make it difficult to score in the allotted time. He positions himself at point to block the ferocious cut shots to round out his repertoire. Hafeez, a guy who can fit into any side, took his time—seven years, to be exact—to become a man for all forms.

After Pakistan's embarrassing World Cup loss in 2003, Mohammad Hafeez entered the Pakistani team as an opening batsman and a more than capable off-spinner. He had a strong start to his Test career, hitting a half-century against Bangladesh on his debut before going on to score a century the next game. Though his results were more troughs than crests, he was forced to leave the Test unit for two periods of three years. twice, once from 2003 to 2006 and then from 2007 to 2010. But he was welcomed back in November 2010 by excellent domestic performances, and ever since then, he has been a mainstay in the Test lineup.

With a few significant exceptions that were few and few between throughout his formative years at the highest level, the stats in ODIs likewise continued to be swamped. But when he rejoined the team in September 2010, his ODI statistics also improved, same to how they had in the Tests. With 11 ODI tons (all of them away) from 2011 to 2015 at the top of the order, Pakistan had a stylish and reliable opponent after Saeed Anwar retired. Up until his actions were questioned by the ICC in June 2015, his more than 100 wickets at an economy rate of little over 4 only served to increase his dependence. He changed his approach and was selected for the ODI team that traveled to Australia in early 2017.

Mohammad Hafeez, also known as "the professor," has led Pakistan in all competitions. Twice in ODIs, once in Tests. But the T20Is were where he spent a significant amount of time as captain. In 29 T20I matches, he led the Pakistani team to victories in 17, defeats in 11, and ties. But during that time, they competed in two World Cups: in 2012, when they advanced to the semifinals; and in 2014, when they missed the semifinals for the first time. His leadership career came to an end after the disappointing tournament. He received the Man of the Series title as a T20 player in 2012 against India in a 2-match T20I series that resulted in a tie.