Pakistan cricket team’s management underwent a major overhaul after the team’s dismal World Cup 2023 campaign in India.

Babar Azam stepped down as captain in all formats while the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointed former all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez as team director and head coach.

The decision is yet to bring a fruitful result for Pakistan as the team recently suffered a 3-0 whitewash on the Test tour of Australia. In the ongoing five-T20I series in New Zealand, the Men in Green have lost the first two matches comprehensively.

Amid the poor show, a report published in PTI claims that Hafeez is reportedly making a lot of players in the side “restless” and the major reason behind the simmering disquiet is his tendency to hold “long meetings and lectures”.

According to the report, some players, who were not named, are unhappy with the meetings held by Hafeez during the tour of Australia and now in New Zealand.

“He holds very long meetings and gives long lectures and some of the players get restless because same things are repeated,” one media report said, as quoted by PTI.

Media reports suggest that the players are also unhappy with what they consider to be discrimination in the issuance of NOCs to play in foreign leagues.

As per the report, a few players like Shadab Khan, Azam Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi were granted NOCs for the International League T20 but when some others sought permission for the Bangladesh Premier League, the issuance was delayed by Hafeez.

Notably, the board has given Hafeez the authority to decide on the NOCs for foreign leagues.

Videos and pictures of Hafeez teaching keeping skills to Azam Khan, and sharing batting tips and bowling points to the spinners have gone viral on the internet lately. It has led cricket fans and experts to question if Hafeez is doing everything right.

The media reports also stated that the foreign batting coach, Adam Hollioake, was a bit confused at the involvement of Hafeez in every aspect of the team’s functioning.

(With PTI Inputs)