Pakistan fans were left extremely disappointed with their team's performance at the ongoing T20 World Cup. The Babar Azam-led side finished in third position in Group A, losing twice and with the same number of wins in four games. The early exit led to brutal criticism from fans and former players of the Pakistan players.
What stunned everyone was Pakistan's opening defeat in the tournament, as they crashed to a Super Over loss against co-hosts USA. The opening defeat turned out to be the defining moment in their campaign and it cost them the second position.
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Speaking to Michael Vaughan and Adam Gilchrist, former Pakistan player Mohammad Hafeez also went on a tirade against the team. Hefeez had served as the team director from November 2023 to February 2024, and was also the interim head coach.
Recalling an incident from a Test match, Hafeez said, "You tell me Gilly, if a player is sleeping in the dressing room and we are playing Test cricket. 4-5 players are sleeping in the dressing room, should I allow that as a team director?"
{{/usCountry}}Recalling an incident from a Test match, Hafeez said, "You tell me Gilly, if a player is sleeping in the dressing room and we are playing Test cricket. 4-5 players are sleeping in the dressing room, should I allow that as a team director?"
{{/usCountry}}Although the question was asked to Gilchrist, Vaughan replied with a laugh, “Are they tired?”
Hafeez explained, "I really don't know. I went into the dressing room and found 4-5 players are sleeping in the dressing room while playing Test cricket. I was like, "how come you guys can do that?" If you do something like this, you cannot be a part of this team. I want you guys to stay focussed during the game and off the game, whatever you guys do, it is your own life, I never get involved in it. But in professional timings of the game, I want you guys to focus on the game. Stay in touch. If you are a fast bowler, you can have a rest, a good ice bath but you need to concentrate on the game of cricket, like how the other team is also doing. You cannot switch yourself off during the game, but unfortunately the media didn't like it."
The Pakistan national team setup has been pretty chaotic for 2-3 years, and it also saw Shaheen Shah Afridi replace Babar as captain after the 2023 ODI World Cup. But just before the T20 World Cup, Babar replaced Shaheen as skipper.