Mohammad Hafeez punches one to the off side

Mohammad Hafeez punches one to the off side, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Mirpur, December 1, 2011

©AFP

Mohammad Hafeez punches one to the off side, Bangladesh v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Mirpur, December 1, 2011
©AFP

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M Usman Arshad

Mohammad Hafeez, Misbah-ul-Haq and Taufeeq Umar celebrate a wicket

Mohammad Hafeez, Misbah-ul-Haq and Taufeeq Umar celebrate a wicket, Ireland v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Belfast, May 28, 2011©AFP

Mohammad Hafeez, Misbah-ul-Haq and Taufeeq Umar celebrate a wicket, Ireland v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Belfast, May 28, 2011©AFP

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M Usman Arshad

Darren Sammy removes Mohammad Hafeez

Darren Sammy removes Mohammad Hafeez, West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd Test, St Kitts, 3rd day, May 22, 2011

©AFP

Darren Sammy removes Mohammad Hafeez, West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd Test, St Kitts, 3rd day, May 22, 2011©AFP

Mohammad Hafeez was dismissed after making 32

Mohammad Hafeez was dismissed after making 32, West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd Test, St Kitts, 3rd day, May 22, 2011

©AFP

Mohammad Hafeez was dismissed after making 32, West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd Test, St Kitts, 3rd day, May 22, 2011©AFP

Mohammad Hafeez is delighted after nailing Devon Smith for the sixth time on the trot

Mohammad Hafeez is delighted after nailing Devon Smith for the sixth time on the trot, West Indies v Pakistan, 1st Test, Providence, 2nd day, May 13, 2011

©AFP

Mohammad Hafeez is delighted after nailing Devon Smith for the sixth time on the trot, West Indies v Pakistan, 1st Test, Providence, 2nd day, May 13, 2011©AFP

Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez added 66 for the first wicket

Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez added 66 for the first wicket, West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, April 25, 2011©AFP

Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez added 66 for the first wicket, West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, April 25, 2011©AFP

West Indies celebrate Mohammad Hafeez's wicket

West Indies celebrate Mohammad Hafeez's wicket, West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, April 25, 2011

©AFP

West Indies celebrate Mohammad Hafeez's wicket, West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, April 25, 2011©AFP

Pakistan need 221 runs to win on 50 overs

West Indies 220 (50.0 ov)
Pakistan Req 221 runs to win
in 50 overs

West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, St Lucia

Regular wickets put Pakistan on top

The Bulletin by George Binoy

April 25, 2011

For the briefest of whiles West Indies, spurred by Lendl Simmons, were making a more spirited start in this game compared to their struggle in the first ODI. Simmons, however, had little support as his team-mates either flickered and perished, or struggled to rotate the strike. Pakistan's spinners steadily stacked up dot balls as Simmons looked on, and his dismissal for 51 left West Indies in desperate need of a momentum-wresting partnership.

Mohammad Hafeez

The day began with left-arm fast bowler Junaid Khan bowling a maiden at Simmons. At the other end there was Mohammad Hafeez, bowling skiddy offbreaks with the new ball. Devon Smith sparked the innings to life, skipping down the pitch to hoist the offspinner over midwicket, and making use of Junaid's width to cut to the boundary. Smith went past 1000 ODI runs but his innings was cut short, as he was adjudged lbw by Asoka de Silva though Hafeez's ball had struck the pad outside off stump.

Simmons struck his first boundary - a pull off Wahab Riaz past mid-on - off the 17th delivery he faced and then hit one more two balls later, square-driving a wide one with flourish. Between the eighth and the ninth over, Simmons lay on the turf, writhing in pain after getting struck on the knee by Wahab, but he recovered to carry on.

While Simmons was batting with Darren Bravo, the signs were promising for West Indies. Bravo had driven Junaid fluently through cover, and then cut Hafeez off the back foot. West Indies were 53 for 1 after the mandatory Powerplay.

Saeed Ajmal had bowled without the reward he deserved in the first ODI. He had teased and beaten Bravo at will. Today, he dismissed Bravo first ball, spinning one from leg across the left-hander, drawing the edge to first slip.

With Marlon Samuels' entry, the run-rate began to plummet, as he blocked and was beaten. West Indies scored 14 runs off the bowling Powerplay and the innings was losing direction. Simmons countered by launching Shahid Afridi out of the ground over midwicket and then charging and hitting Junaid for a straight six. He was deft, too, dabbing a full ball from Afridi fine past third man.

Samuels, however, had scored 3 off 36 and Simmons felt he needed to attack more. Soon after reaching his half-century, Simmons drove Afridi fiercely towards short cover, where Umar Akmal parried it above his head and caught the rebound. Samuels then hit his first four, lofting Junaid over extra cover, off his 37th ball. He lost Kirk Edwards quickly, and Pakistan only had to dislodge Dwayne Bravo to keep the hosts to a middling total.

George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, St Lucia

Regular wickets put Pakistan on top

The Bulletin by George Binoy

April 25, 2011

For the briefest of whiles West Indies, spurred by Lendl Simmons, were making a more spirited start in this game compared to their struggle in the first ODI. Simmons, however, had little support as his team-mates either flickered and perished, or struggled to rotate the strike. Pakistan's spinners steadily stacked up dot balls as Simmons looked on, and his dismissal for 51 left West Indies in desperate need of a momentum-wresting partnership.

Mohammad Hafeez

The day began with left-arm fast bowler Junaid Khan bowling a maiden at Simmons. At the other end there was Mohammad Hafeez, bowling skiddy offbreaks with the new ball. Devon Smith sparked the innings to life, skipping down the pitch to hoist the offspinner over midwicket, and making use of Junaid's width to cut to the boundary. Smith went past 1000 ODI runs but his innings was cut short, as he was adjudged lbw by Asoka de Silva though Hafeez's ball had struck the pad outside off stump.

Simmons struck his first boundary - a pull off Wahab Riaz past mid-on - off the 17th delivery he faced and then hit one more two balls later, square-driving a wide one with flourish. Between the eighth and the ninth over, Simmons lay on the turf, writhing in pain after getting struck on the knee by Wahab, but he recovered to carry on.

While Simmons was batting with Darren Bravo, the signs were promising for West Indies. Bravo had driven Junaid fluently through cover, and then cut Hafeez off the back foot. West Indies were 53 for 1 after the mandatory Powerplay.

Saeed Ajmal had bowled without the reward he deserved in the first ODI. He had teased and beaten Bravo at will. Today, he dismissed Bravo first ball, spinning one from leg across the left-hander, drawing the edge to first slip.

With Marlon Samuels' entry, the run-rate began to plummet, as he blocked and was beaten. West Indies scored 14 runs off the bowling Powerplay and the innings was losing direction. Simmons countered by launching Shahid Afridi out of the ground over midwicket and then charging and hitting Junaid for a straight six. He was deft, too, dabbing a full ball from Afridi fine past third man.

Samuels, however, had scored 3 off 36 and Simmons felt he needed to attack more. Soon after reaching his half-century, Simmons drove Afridi fiercely towards short cover, where Umar Akmal parried it above his head and caught the rebound. Samuels then hit his first four, lofting Junaid over extra cover, off his 37th ball. He lost Kirk Edwards quickly, and Pakistan only had to dislodge Dwayne Bravo to keep the hosts to a middling total.

George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

Pakistan news

Zulqarnain Haider returns to Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff

April 25, 2011

Five and a half months after fleeing to London from the UAE on the morning of an ODI, Zulqarnain Haider, the former Pakistan wicketkeeper, has returned home, having secured security assurances from the government about his safety and that of his family.

Zulqarnain Haider landed at Islamabad airport on Monday morning © AFP

Haider landed at Islamabad airport on Monday morning and was swiftly escorted by security personnel to the office of Rehman Malik, the Interior Minister, who had convinced him to come back from London. Haider, who turned 25 on Saturday, had announced last week that he was prepared to revoke his application for asylum in the UK and return to Pakistan and resume his playing career. However, soon after that, there was confusion; some channels reported that he was reconsidering his decision after receiving threatening phone calls in the aftermath of his decision to return.

But later he clarified to other channels - as well as leaving an update on his Facebook page - confirming that he would be returning as planned. Haider also recorded the threatening calls he had received, parts of which were aired on some Pakistani channels.

"I am happy to return," he said on Monday afternoon, after a meeting with Malik. "I have met Rehman Malik and the sports minister and they have provided me foolproof security," he said.

"When I landed at the airport everything was superb. They have given me superb accommodation and have lived upto their promise. I have just talked to them and briefed them on what happened to me. When I meet Ijaz Butt [PCB chairman] I will share with him too. I think no one will put his future on line and there were some reasons when I left the team and went to Britain."

Haider had gone missing from the Pakistan team's hotel in Dubai on the morning of the fifth and final ODI against South Africa on November 8, saying he had received death threats from unidentified people seeking to draw him into match-fixing. He fled to the UK to seek protection and placed an application for asylum that hinged on the nature of the information he was able to divulge, as the extraordinary nature of his case appeared to fall outside the usual conditions required of a person seeking refugee status.

In the aftermath of his flight, Haider announced his international retirement and his contract with the PCB was suspended. A fact-finding committee subsequently set-up by the PCB to look into the affair failed to find any clear motives behind his actions.

But the committee was told by some of the national team's support staff that Haider had a complex personality, was a "weak nerve" person and "a person who is easily convinced into believing whatever is said to him." The committee, which spoke to Haider by phone, asked the PCB to write to Haider and ask him what happened in Dubai which forced him to fly to London.

The report tapped into increasing public scepticism over the motives for Haider's flight, not helped by a growing number of statements by the player promising much in the fight against corruption but delivering little. When one channel said last week that he was considering not returning, Haider threatened them with legal action.

What happens now remains unclear. A board official told ESPNcricinfo that there was no "official next step," as far as Haider was concerned. "The fact-finding committee's last communication with him was to seek some more details, but they never heard back from him. The board will do nothing now until he gets in touch with us. After that we can decide on a future course of action, whether disciplinary because he breached the code of conduct, or otherwise."

Haider said he hadn't decided whether or not to take back his retirement, saying he wanted to "spend some time with my family," first.

West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, St Lucia

Afridi asks West Indies to bat

Shahid Afridi put West Indies in to bat after winning the toss, after two losses, in the second ODI in St Lucia, hoping to repeat the successful chase that gave Pakistan a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The stands were disappointingly empty at the start of the game.

West Indies made one change to their XI that lost on Saturday, giving Antigua legspinner Anthony Martin a debut. Andre Russell was the player to make way as West Indies wanted two spinners - both of them of the legbreak variety - on a slow pitch at Gros Islet. The exclusion of Russell for Martin, however, lengthened the tail significantly.

Pakistan were unchanged from the first ODI.

Mohammad Hafeez
 celebrates Devon Smith's
 wicket, West Indies v Pakistan
, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, April 25, 2011
©AFP

West Indies (possible): 1 Devon Smith, 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Kirk Edwards, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Carlton Baugh (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Devendra Bishoo, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Anthony Martin

Pakistan (possible): 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Asad Shafiq, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Hammad Azam, 7 Mohammad Salman (wk), 8 Shahid Afridi (capt), 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Junaid Khan, 11 Saeed Ajmal

George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

Mohammad Hafeez steers one through the off side during his fifty

Mohammad Hafeez steers one through the off side during his fifty, West Indies v Pakistan, 1st ODI, St Lucia, April 23, 2011©AFP

Mohammad Hafeez steers one through the off side during his fifty, West Indies v Pakistan, 1st ODI, St Lucia, April 23, 2011©AFP

Darren Sammy helped get his team's defence off to a good start by removing Mohammad Hafeez

Darren Sammy helped get his team's defence off to a good start by removing Mohammad Hafeez, West Indies v Pakistan, Only Twenty20, St Lucia, April 21, 2011

 ©Getty Images

Darren Sammy helped get his team's defence off to a good start by removing Mohammad Hafeez, West Indies v Pakistan, Only Twenty20, St Lucia, April 21, 2010 ©Getty Images

Pakistanis won by 68 runs

Pakistanis won by 68 runs

University of WI vice-chancellor's XI v Pakistanis, tour game, St Lucia

Hafeez, Rehman star in convincing win

ESPNcricinfo staff

April 19, 2011

Pakistan made a winning start to their tour of West Indies, as stand-in captain Mohammad Hafeez's ton and Abdul Rehman's four-wicket haul steered them to a comfortable 68-run victory against University of West Indies vice-chancellor's XI.

Mohammad Hafeez

Pakistan chose to bat, and immediately benefited from the hosts' generosity. Hafeez was dropped in the first over by Keron Cottoy, off the bowling of Fidel Edwards. Hafeez made the home side pay, slamming ten fours and two sixes in his 93-ball 101 , before retiring out. He was supported well by opening partner Taufeeq Umar, who dominated the 77-run first-wicket stand with a score of 44 before becoming the first of three Carlos Brathwaite victims.

Ahmed Shehzad took over where Taufeeq left, contributing 49 to a 130-run stand as Hafeez shifted gears. Umar Akmal went after the bowling in the end overs, carting eight fours and a six in his aggressive unbeaten 57. His flurry lifted the Pakistanis to a strong total of 287 for 7. Dwayne Bravo had a forgettable time with the ball, leaking 69 runs in his eight-over spell.

Miles Bascombe and Omar Phillips began the chase well, adding 40 for the opening wicket, before wickets began to tumble. The seam trio of Tanvir Ahmed, Junaid Khan and Wahab Riaz struck once each to reduce the hosts to 75 for 3 before Nkruma Bonner and Bravo began a repair job. They added 48 for the fourth wicket after which Rehman began to make incisions.

Bonner's dismissal for 43 triggered a mini-collapse as 123 for 3 became 146 for 6 in quick time. Bravo scored a breezy 63 off 70 balls and showed little evidence of the injury that curtailed his participation in World Cup. He hit four fours and two sixes before holing out against Rehman. Kevin McLean and Cottoy added an unbroken 39 for the ninth wicket to reduce the margin of defeat, but Pakistan still won the game by 68 runs.

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez put together an unbeaten 113 run stand

Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez put together an unbeaten 113-run stand, West Indies v Pakistan, 1st quarter-final, World Cup 2011, March 23, 2011

©Getty Images

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pakistan win by 10 wickets

pakistan now in semi final

Pakistan v West Indies, World Cup 2011, 1st quarter-final, Mirpur

Clinical Pakistan storm into semi-final

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan

March 23, 2011

Pakistan are two games away from repeating the heroics of Imran Khan's 1992 team after a crushing 10-wicket victory against West Indies in the first quarter-final in Dhaka. Mohammad Hafeez starred with bat and ball, beginning West Indies' decline with two early wickets then ending it with a brisk 61, while Shahid Afridi is proving an inspirational force and led from the front again with four more scalps as the spinners produced a ruthless display to dismantle West Indies for 112.

Between the three of them, Pakistan's slow bowlers had figures of 27.3-5-64-8 and gave another example of how there is a threat from every part of the attack. At no point did Afridi need to fill overs, especially when the weakest link of the bowlers - Hafeez - managed to take 2 for 16 in his full allocation. Hafeez then dominated an unbroken opening stand with Kamran Akmal which wiped off the target with barely an alarm and 29 overs to spare.

The match represented a contest for as long as Chris Gayle was in the middle - the sum total of 2.5 overs. His departure sucked the life and belief from West Indies line-up with the rest remaining rooted to the crease, managing just seven fours and a solitary Shivnarine Chanderpaul six as he nudged his way to a hollow, unbeaten 44.

Some early aggression had proved the falsest of dawns. Devon Smith cut the first ball of the match to the point boundary and Gayle played two thumping shots, but in attempting his third boundary, he picked out Afridi at mid-off who did well to hold on to a stinging drive. With their talisman gone, West Indies became virtually scoreless.

Hafeez, handed the new ball after Abdur Rehman was left out, caused a host of problems for the left handers, mainly with his straighter deliveries, rather than any turn. The major damage came in his third over as he skidded one past Smith's inside edge, and three balls later, a similar delivery removed Darren Bravo as he thrust his pad down the line.

The next six overs brought just six runs as Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chanderpaul were rendered scoreless by the combination of Hafeez and Gul. The shackles were momentarily broken when Sarwan collected two boundaries off Wahab Riaz - the second a flowing cover drive - but they were the rare exception.

Hafeez was allowed to bowl eight overs for 12 runs though he was barely turning the ball and spinners continued to cause problems when Afridi had two close shouts for lbw in his first over. He used up a review with the first one but should have broken through in his second over when Gul didn't accept a chance at long-off when Sarwan, on 14, tried to go over the top.

Runs came at a painful rate, but at least the fourth-wicket pair were trying to set a platform. However, with the pressure building and Pakistan racing through the overs Sarwan felt he had to try some shots, but couldn't clear cover as he cut a delivery which bounced more than expected. Not for the first time, Afridi stood with arms aloft and it was just the start for the Pakistan captain.

Kieron Pollard did nothing to end the argument that he's a bully of weak bowling attacks when he bottom-edged a cut and Kamran Akmal's recent improvements continued with a sharp take. None of the West Indian batsman - barring Chanderpaul - had a clue which way Afridi was turning the ball and that was summed up by Devon Thomas' dismissal as he played back to a quicker ball.

From legspin to offspin it was then the turn of Saeed Ajmal to make more lower-order batsmen look foolish. Darren Sammy, who will struggle to justify his place in the team after this tournament, was turned square by a perfect doosra and the same delivery also removed Devendra Bishoo although this time the batsman helped with an inside edge.

Kemar Roach showed some of his team-mates that batting wasn't impossible as he accompanied Chanderpaul for 15 overs to add 40 but it was like trying to the plug the leak in the Titanic. Roach eventually chipped to midwicket and the innings ended with more than six overs remaining when Ravi Rampaul was bowled round his legs by Afridi.

Pakistan weren't going to ease their way to the target and after two overs had 25 on the board - it had taken West Indies until the 12th over to reach that point. Hafeez rode on the confidence of his bowling display, but some of the bowling served up was as bad as the earlier batting. A couple of tough half chances were spilled without affecting the result.

The victory means their first journey to India since 2007 to face either the co-hosts or defending champions in Mohali. Pakistan won't care who the opposition are, it will take an exceptional performance to stop them.

Andrew McGlashan is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

New Zealand v Pakistan

New Zealand v Pakistan, Group A, World Cup 2011, Pallekele

Hafeez confident of better openings

Mohammad Hafeez

Three matches in and murmurs over Pakistan's opening combination are increasing. Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad have put on 11, 28 and 16 against Kenya, Sri Lanka and Canada but on two occasions the middle order has bailed the side out. There is no move from the team management to change things just yet - in fact there is a commendable rigidity to stick, as much as possible, to the same winning XI - but the need for a substantial stand is growing.

Hafeez has looked the more fluent of the two, particularly in his 32 against Sri Lanka, where a disastrous run-out ended a promising knock. The surfaces they have come across, while good for batting, have been more competitive than some seen in the World Cup and that Hafeez concluded has also played a part.

"When you assess the pitch as an opener, you have to plan out what it would be like, and both pitches at Hambantota and at the Premadasa had a lot of movement and swing," Hafeez said in Pallekele, a day before his side's game with New Zealand. "We need some time to build a good partnership but you get one good delivery or a decision goes against you, which are a part of the game, and you have to take it positively. Here there has been some lateral movement with the new ball and swing as well."

Hafeez's return to the ODI set-up in the last English summer has brought Pakistan a sense of stability at the top, though his most productive partnership has been with Kamran Akmal, now batting at one down. Hafeez averages nearly 33 in 19 ODIs since, with a hundred - in New Zealand - and three fifties. The figures don't look outstanding, but he has chipped in otherwise, with wickets (13) and a safe presence in the field.

"In the three series against England, South Africa and New Zealand I think I've been consistent," Hafeez said. "It's only that I haven't performed in three World Cup matches. In one match I got run out and in another I got a bad decision. To perform in cricket you need luck other than your own potential as well sometimes."

A good start also gives Pakistan greater flexibility in their batting order. Because the openers have not so far come off, Pakistan has stuck with bringing Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq together behind Kamran Akmal, in order to insure against a collapse. But there are indications within the camp that if the openers provide a substantial, pacy start, Abdul Razzaq or even Shahid Afridi could be pushed up the order, as high as one-down.

Having scored his first and only ODI hundred against tomorrow's opponents in the series in January, a change of results, Hafeez believes, is due. "As an opener I know we have not given good starts to the team, but there's no lack of confidence. We just need one good partnership to get back the confidence. We handled New Zealand's bowling very well [in New Zealand], I also scored a century against them so the confidence is very high."