(AP Photo)
Mohammad Hafeez, the former captain of Pakistan, has stirred up controversy once again by labeling Virat Kohli as ‘selfish’. This isn’t the first instance where Hafeez has criticized Kohli’s approach to batting.
In a previous incident during a World Cup match against South Africa last year, Hafeez had publicly criticized Kohli for what he perceived as a lack of intent, suggesting that Kohli prioritized reaching his 49th ODI century over contributing to his team’s success. Hafeez claimed that Kohli noticeably slowed down once he approached the nineties in that match.
“I saw sense of selfishness in Virat Kohli’s batting and this happened for the third time in this World Cup. In the 49th over, he was looking to take a single to reach his own hundred and he didn’t put the team first,” Hafeez had said on a Pakistani TV show which was covering the World Cup 2023.
Mohammad Hafeez reiterated his stance and once again raised doubts about Virat Kohli’s intentions. During a recent discussion on the YouTube show Club Prairie Fire, which also featured Adam Gilchrist and Michael Vaughan, Hafeez reaffirmed his previous comments and elaborated on why he had labeled Kohli as selfish during that period.
“I was right that time. If you see the whole context, you will know. To me, no matter whoever is playing, your intention, your way of playing should always be towards winning the game,” Hafeez replied to a query on the show.
“But if someone is stopping himself from playing big shot in the 90s, I will never take it. On 95, if someone is taking five balls to get to his 100 and not thinking that if maybe on those three or four balls, if I can hit,” he explained.
“If my intentions get changed after scoring 100, why I cannot play that same shot when I was on 95? Or on 92? Because to me, your intent should always remain the same – do whatever possible to add value to your team and get them to a winning position,” Hafeez added.
Mohammad Hafeez says ‘Personal milestones should go away from cricket’
Hafeez elaborated on his position by noting that Kohli consumed a significant number of deliveries to reach his century without playing any expansive shots.
“I felt in that game Virat took a lot of balls to get to his 100 and he was not playing big shots. If you watch his century again, maybe you will realize what I was saying,” the former Pakistan allrounder explained.
“For me, personal milestones should go away from cricket. Your 50s, your 100s, your 5 wickets – as fan of cricket we don’t want to watch these kind of 50s and hundreds if they are not in a winning cause. In the game of cricket, even one run matters,” he added.
