BRISBANE – Mohammad Hafeez has been added to Pakistan’s ODI squad for the upcoming five-match series against Australia, hours after the Test team slipped to a 3-0 whitewash.
Hafeez, the veteran all-rounder, will head to Australia as the 16th member of the squad originally selected last week after a request from Pakistan’s team management and captain Azhar Ali.
The 36-year-old, who recently received clearance on his bowling action by the International Cricket Council (ICC), has last represented the Green Shirts in 50-over format back in August in the match against England.Hafeez had been out of international contention since being dropped during the tour of England last year, with fitness issues compounding a run of poor form. He did not feature at all against West Indies in the UAE or on Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand.
His return to bowling, which had been an integral part of Pakistan’s limited-overs game, after being banned for an illegal action was the main reason for his recall, with Hafeez preferred over in-form opening batsmen Kamran Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad.A PCB release said: “The selection committee headed by Inzamam-ul-Haq today received a request from Pakistan team management comprising coach Mickey Arthur and captain Azhar Ali for sending Mohammad Hafeez to Australia for the ODI series. The selection committee has decided to accept the request of the team management and chairman of the PCB has approved the same. Hafeez will join the team shortly as the 16th member in Australia.”
The top-order batsman will join the squad as the 16thplayer for the series which will begin from January 13 in Brisbane.Pakistan faced fourth consecutive whitewash in Down Under as they lost the third and final Test by 220 runs at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Saturday.
