LAHORE: Former Pakistan team director and head coach Mohammad Hafeez has claimed that he was promised four years in the roles before being released from it only two months after the commencement of his tenure.

Hafeez was appointed in the positions by the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) interim Management Committee chairman Zaka Ashraf following the removal of his successor Mickey Arthur and his handpicked coaching staff after Pakistan’s failure to make it to the World Cup semi-finals last year.

The ex-captain served as the team director and head coach during Pakistan’s three-match Test series against Australia and five-match Twenty20 International series against New Zealand. The national side lost all matches but the final T20 against the Kiwis.

Not long after, Zaka, who according to Hafeez promised him a four-year tenure, stepped down as the PCB chief after realising he had lost the backing of caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar as the board’s patron-in-chief.

Zaka was replaced by Mohsin Naqvi — who became the first elected chairman of the PCB in more than a year earlier this month — and the latter decided not to extend Hafeez’s contract as the board announced he was released from the posts on Thursday.

“I accepted the new role as a Director PCB with great passion to make positive reforms but unfortunately my designated tenure which was offered by the PCB for 4 years was cut short for 2 months on the account of new chairmanship,” Hafeez wrote on social media platform “X” on Friday.

The former right-handed batter suggested there were more than just cricketing reasons behind his removal and that he would bring them to light in the near future.

“As always, I foremost take responsibility and put myself accountable for all my executions in my given time and will accordingly reveal all thevcricketing and other amateur non-cricketing facts which ensue bad performances. Stay tuned,” said Hafeez.

It is understood that the PCB is going to start its hunt for foreign coaches once again under Mohsin’s leadership.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2024