I haven’t played for Pakistan for money: Mohammad Hafeez after central contract disappointment

Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez, who reportedly mulled retirement from international cricket, after being offered a demotion by the country’s cricket board, reiterated his stand on the controversial issue on social media on Friday, August 10. Hafeez, who will turn 38 this October was disappointed with the central contract granted to him by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) being demoted him from category ‘A’ to category ‘B’ and was reportedly not ready to sign it.

The Pakistan board has come up with a fresh three-year remuneration agreement for the 2018-19 season with Pakistani captain Sarfraz Ahmed and former captain and senior player Shoaib Malik, who served as the cricketers’ representatives. The agreement provided a 25-30 per cent hike in the players’ monthly salaries. While players like Azhar Ali, Yasir Shah, Babar Azam and Mohammad Amir besides Ahmed and Malik were placed in ‘A’ category, people like Hafeez and Asad Shafiq were put in ‘B’ category.

Hafeez, who has played 50 Tests, 200 ODIs and 83 T20Is for the national team since 2003, said in a Twitter post: “Regarding Central contract issue,I want to yet again clear 2 all my fans & media ppl that I always played for Pakistan with Highest Passion,Dignity & Honour surely not for money,M happy to serve my beloved county in even C or D category no matter what but to play with Respect.”

Regarding Central contract issue,I want to yet again clear 2 all my fans & media ppl that I always played for Pakistan🇵🇰 with Highest Passion,Dignity & Honour surely not for money,M happy to serve my beloved county in even C or D category no matter what but to play with Respect

— Mohammad Hafeez (@MHafeez22) August 10, 2018

The man, who has over 11,000 runs and 239 wickets in international cricket, played his last Test in 2016; last ODI in January this year and last T20I in Zimbabwe last month. He, however, was reportedly not happy after missing out in the five-match series that Pakistan played against Zimbabwe and won 5-0 after the T20I tri-series.

If the experience in the bilateral series was not enough, Hafeez was hugely disappointed over the central contracts and reports started surfacing about him considering retirement from international cricket if the PCB didn’t change the stance towards him.

As per a report of Pakistan’s The Express Tribune, one of Hafeez’s close source said that if he didn’t find a satisfactory explanation from the PCB regarding the contract, he would make himself unavailable for the team selection and would part ways with the country’s national side without taking official retirement.

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