Pakistan: Hafeez out as national cricket team director

Pakistan cricket authorities said on Thursday they would not renew the contract of national team director Mohammad Hafeez, showing him the door after disastrous tours of Australia and New Zealand.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointed 43-year-old Hafeez in late 2023 after the side crashed out of the World Cup in India.

But in his brief tenure Pakistan were whitewashed 3-0 in a Test series in Australia and lost 4-1 in the Twenty20 series in New Zealand.

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"Hafeez's contract expired after the New Zealand series last month so PCB is not extending it," PCB media director Aaliya Rasheed told AFP.

A losing streak has prompted a major shake-up for Pakistan, with skipper Babar Azam stepping down from all three formats in November and foreign coach Mickey Arthur also getting sacked.

The PCB has also seen major changes at the helm, with a revolving door of chairmen.

On Thursday, the PCB also terminated the central contract of fast bowler Haris Rauf for refusing to play Test matches in Australia last year.

"Refusal to be part of Pakistan's Test squad in the absence of a medical report or justifiable reason is a violation of contract," said a PCB statement.

Rauf, 30, has so far played one Test, 37 ODIs and 66 Twenty20 internationals for Pakistan.