Zaka Ashraf settles Razzaq-Hafeez row

By Nadira Mushtaque

PCB chief settles differences among Mohammad Hafeez and Abdul Razzaq

LAHORE, Pakistan (TheSportsNEXT) October 19, 2012: Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday held a meeting with Pakistan’s Twenty20 skipper Mohammad Hafeez and veteran all-rounder Abdul Razzaq to settle their bilateral issues and imposed 0.1 million rupees fine on Abdul Razzaq, sources told TheSportsNEXT.com.

As per sources, the PCB authorities have backed the Twenty20 captain after Razzaq sprayed venom against him upon his return to Pakistan from Sri Lanka after Pakistan crashed out of the tournament in Semi-Finals.

Abdul Razzaq was of the view that he deserved a place in the playing-eleven and Mohammad Hafeez ruled him out of the match while skipper put burden on team management for making Razzaq sit out of the must-win match.

Following his media outburst, the PCB chief kicked Abdul Razzaq out of the squad for the upcoming Hong Kong Super Sixes where he was initially included as captain.

Sources also claimed that Abdul Razzaq’s inclusion in the Pakistan-India series was also under question for his breach of contract but the veteran all-rounder took a U-turn by submitting his apology to the PCB chairman.

Following the apology, Chaudhry Zaka Ashraf summoned both Abdul Razzaq and Mohammad Hafeez in his office on Friday where he meddled between the two all-rounders.

Sources said that during the meeting Abdul Razzaq offered his apology to Mohammad Hafeez for his remarks and PCB chairman resolved the issue between the two cricketers.

Sources also claimed that following the resolution of the issue, the PCB may recall Abdul Razzaq back into the squad for the Hong Kong Super Sixes 2012.


Later, speaking at a joint press conference, Abdul Razzaq publicly admitted his mistake saying the incident made him sad and now he was happy to move on forgetting the past.

Mohammad Hafeez told reporters, "There are conflicts everywhere but we should forget the past and think about the future".

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Abdul Razzaq may miss Pakistan-India series

By Nadira Mushtaque

Abdul Razzaq may also have to sit out of Pakistan-India series!

LAHORE, Pakistan (TheSportsNEXT) October 14, 2012: Pakistani cricket fans may not find veteran hard-hitting all-rounder Abdul Razzaq in action during the upcoming Pakistan-India series after the PCB decided to penalize him for his media outburst against his skipper.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on Monday, started penalizing the outspoken veteran all-rounder Abdul Razzaq for his media outburst against T20 skipper Mohammad Hafeez by dropping him for the upcoming Hong Kong Super Sixes 2012.

Sources told TheSportsNEXT.com on Monday that the star all-rounder is unlikely to be considered for the upcoming Pakistan-India series to be played in December this year.

Earlier local media had reported that Abdul Razzaq was likely to lead Pakistani outfit in the Hong Kong Super Sixes tournament which is held every year in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Super Sixes 2012 tournament will be played on October 27-28, 2012 at the Kowloon Cricket Club.

The PCB has appointed wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal as skipper of the team which also includes Owais Zia, Umar Akmal, Hammad Azam, Yasir Shah, Junaid Khan and Tanvir Ahmad.

It is important to mention here that Abdul Razzaq had lashed out at Mohammad Hafeez for keeping him out of the all-important Semi-Final encounter against Sri Lanka in the recently conclude ICC World Twenty20 2012 which Pakistan lost by 16 runs.

Abdul Razzaq had alleged that it was Mohammad Hafeez and not the team management which decided to drop him out of the playing eleven and gave only one chance during the whole tournament.

The veteran all-rounder, who has the reputation of a great finisher and hard-hitter of a cricket ball, had earlier on Monday apologized to the Pakistan Cricket Board for his media outburst.

The PCB will hold another round of meeting with Abdul Razzaq on Friday.

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