Mohammad Hafeez takes a dig at Rameez Raja, says retirement his own call

Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez hit out at former Pakistan skipper and commentator Rameez Raja, saying that the decision to walk away from the game of cricket will be made by him and not influenced by what others had to say.

Mohammad Hafeez was selected in Pakistan's long 29-man squad for the tour of England, something which did not go down well with Rameez Raja. He criticized Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq for selecting aged players in the roaster and advised Mohammad Hafeez to retire from international cricket.

Mohammad Hafeez responded by saying that it is the player's fitness that must determine how long his career would last and not his age. He wanted to do well for his country and still believed that he had the capability to play all three formats for Pakistan if the team needed him.

"I don’t play cricket on anyone’s saying, neither will I leave cricket on anyone’s saying. It is my life, my cricket career and my choice when to retire. I don’t know the fuss and it is (Ramiz’s) opinion but I say don’t decide on a player’s career based on just his age. If he is super fit and performing and keen to do well for his country, it’s fine," Mohammad Hafeez told PTI.

Need to accept the change in rules and move on: Mohammad Hafeez

With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the ICC has laid down new rules and regulations which will help in creating a bio-secure environment for cricket to be played. These rules will be active when international cricket returns with the West Indies tour of England beginning from July 8.

The change in rules include ban on the usage of saliva to shine the ball and availability of COVID-19 substitutes. While Mohammad Hafeez believed that these rule changes would take the excitement out from the game, he also believed that these rule changes were important and had to be accepted given the current situation.

“I think cricket has lost its charm due to new regulations amid COVID-19 but we will have to accept these and move on,” Mohammad Hafeez stated.