Inzamam Questions Hafeez Firing, Shares Disrespectful PCB Story

Inzamam-ul-Haq is fuming over the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) recent decisions and their treatment of former players like Mohammad Hafeez.

Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-Ul-Haq showed his concern that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) fired Mohammed Hafeez as the Team Director. He thinks it doesn’t make sense because both Hafeez and Wahab Riaz were given important jobs at the same time. He even asked, “Why did they only fire Hafeez after the team lost in Australia and New Zealand, but not Wahab Riaz?” They both had similar responsibilities, so Inzamam thinks it’s unfair to just blame one person.

Inzamam publicly questioned the PCB’s logic, stating on a TV show, “Can someone explain the reasoning behind removing Muhammad Hafeez as Team Director but retaining Wahab Riaz as Chief Selector after the Australian and New Zealand tours?” (as quoted by NDTV).

Legendary batter highlighted the similarities in their roles and responsibilities, asking, “Weren’t both appointed at the same time and given the same responsibilities, so why has only Hafeez been held accountable and not Wahab Riaz?”

Inzamam, who himself stepped down as chief selector amidst the conflict of interest allegations, believes the PCB needs to show more respect to former players. “The PCB Chairman no doubt is a highly respectable position, but don’t former captains and stalwarts deserve the same amount of respect from the top board officials?” the former captain showed his disappointment.

Inzamam Reveals A Personal Story of Disrespect:

Drawing from personal experience, Inzamam recounted a situation where he felt disrespected by a former PCB Chairman, Zaka Ashraf. He recalled a past meeting with the PCB Chairman to clear conflict of interest accusations. He waited, but the Chairman skipped the meeting, leaving him alone. When two officials finally returned, they mentioned an inquiry, not a discussion.

This made Inzamam furious. This wasn’t just about the accusations; it was the disrespect. He felt embarrassed, it made him furious, and he even offered to resign. This story highlighted the wider issue: a lack of respect from the PCB towards its legends.

“We had a meeting scheduled at the PCB offices after this story about me having a conflict of interest as Chief Selector broke out. I was sitting with (PCB officials) Salman Naseer and Aliya Rasheed waiting for the chairman to come. But he went to the academy and from there called Naseer and Aliya to meet him, and I was told to wait as he would not be seeing me. Only Aliya returned after a time and told me about the inquiry committee. I was hurt by this behavior from the Chairman. Every detail of agents and their companies who work with players are available with ICC and PCB, and it was not such a big deal I told them I would resign and they can complete their inquiry,” Inzamam added.

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Inzamam concluded by emphasizing the need for a more responsible and respectful approach from the PCB. “Pakistan Cricket cannot be run in this manner. It is time the board officials also accepted responsibility for their actions,” he declared. Inzamam’s statements highlight a growing rift between former players and the PCB, urging a change in how the sport is managed in Pakistan.