Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez, a one year ban imposed on him by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in July last year officially ended on the fourth day of the first test against England.
The ban officially ended on the fourth day of the Lord’s Test on July 17 as Pakistan recorded a historic win at the home of cricket.
According to local media report, selector Tauseef Ahmed, who is a member of newly appointed selection committee, is positive for Hafeez and believes that if he gets the clean chit to bowl at the international level, it will provide Pakistan the much needed balance. “Hafeez isn’t expected to return during the Test series, but his return will lend balance to the team,” he said.“Hafeez has a great economy rate and his record against left-handers is as good as any off-spinner’s in the game. His return will help us in all three formats,” said Tauseef.
He further told that the reason behind the elbow flex of Hafeez and how he can fix it, “Hafeez’s problem stems from the pause just before he delivers the ball,” said Tauseef. “That pause forces him to generate more power using his elbow, which then bends while delivering the ball. All he needs to do is minimise the pause.”
“Unlike most bowlers with suspect actions, Hafeez doesn’t use his elbow that much; he has strong fingers and also uses the wrist.”
“If he starts using his wrist a little more, he will easily regain his old touch with a modified action,” added Tauseef. “His elbow flex isn’t too high and I am confident that he won’t lose much of his old trickery with a new action,” he concluded.
Previously, Hafeez suffered a knee injury during the Asia Cup earlier this year. Despite his injury, Hafeez toured India for the World T20 where he aggravated his condition and was eventually left in the matches against New Zealand and Australia. He had already missed the ongoing fitness training camp at the Pakistan Military Academy in Abbottabad.
However, Hafeez made his international debut in one-day international (ODI) in April 2003 at Sharjah. The player has hit almost 5,356 runs in ODI with an average run rate of 32.46.
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