The Pakistan Sports Ministry has reportedly advised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) not to extend the contract of its current director of cricket, Mohammad Hafeez, who assumed the role after the team’s poor performance in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

The PCB management committee had submitted the contract for approval to the ministry of inter-provincial coordination, which is responsible for overseeing the sports sector.

Notably, Hafeez, along with other new coaching staff members, joined the Pakistan team with the assurance of receiving extended contracts.

But now the sports ministry wants the PCB to continue with Hafeez on the short-term contract, which will end with the conclusion of the ongoing T20I series in New Zealand in which Pakistan trails 0-4.

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An insider source revealed: “The contract was for a long-term period but the board was told to just continue with the short-term arrangement with Hafeez which ends after the T20 series in New Zealand.”

He added, “Now it appears (that) this is not going to happen, and as it is, the performance of the team has also been very bad under Hafeez and the other coaches, as they have lost all Tests in Australia and now the T20I series in New Zealand.”

Notably, Hafeez was appointed as the director of the Pakistan team, along with new coaches Umar Gul, and Saeed Ajmal, and foreign coaches Simon Helmot and Adam Hollioake for the Australia tour. Yasir Arafat took over as the high-performance coach for the T20Is in New Zealand, replacing Helmot.

(With PTI Inputs)