MCG win was special; it was a blessing: Mohammad Hafeez

Stand-in Pakistan skipper Mohammad Hafeez has gone on to state that the victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was indeed a special one, to say the least. Hafeez went ahead and smashed an impressive 72 as Pakistan went ahead and not only drew level in the series, but also their first win at the MCG in almost 20 years.

“This win was a special, special blessing,” Hafeez said at the post-match press conference. “Everyone took that responsibility to do that job for Pakistan. Last game, we had our moments but we couldn’t continue that pressure. We had a good team meeting and realized the importance of taking responsibility. Stats have changed, history has changed.

Hafeez went on to add that the bowlers had indeed made an impact in the MCG game, something they had not done previously. “Last game, when we had to put the pressure, our bowlers couldn’t respond. In this match, our bowlers didn’t let go of that attacking tendency. For me as a captain, and even the coach, we had to ensure we played attacking and positive cricket. We couldn’t be negative and think about the past.”

Mohammad Hafeez, who was the architect of the win, went on to add that 250 would have been a par score that the Pakistanis could certainly chase. He also went on to speak about his inclusion in the side and the fact that he returned as captain of the side as well.

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“It was important to restrict Australia to a score where we as a batting unit, could chase that: 250 was a par score on this pitch because it was not coming on to the bat,” Hafeez said. “We kept the pressure on and that really worked for us.

“If we had to chase a 250-plus score, it would have been very difficult. The bowlers got the wickets at the right time, which gave us the confidence to do everything we wanted to.”

“I was never negative, I knew I’ll be back in the team at any stage,” Hafeez said. “My performance was not good at the domestic level, but the management trusted my ability and asked me to come here and add the value to the team.”