Stand-in skipper Hafeez plots Pak Test comeback post Lanka ODI drubbing
Islamabad, June 22: Pakistan team''s stand-in captain Mohammad Hafeez is confident his young side will regroup after the one-day defeats to challenge Sri Lanka in the Test series scheduled to start on Friday.
Hafeez, 31, was substituted as the captain after regular captain Misbah-ul Haq was banned from the first Test in Galle due to Pakistan''s slow over-rate in the final one-dayer in Colombo on Monday, reports The Nation.
Misbah was penalised for his team falling three overs short, which International Cricket Council match referee Chris Broad said was a "serious over-rate offence" in one-day internationals.
Hafeez, who was made his country''s Twenty20 skipper ahead of the current tour, has played only 26 Tests and never captained Pakistan before in the five-day format. But the all-rounder brushed aside the 3-1 loss in the one-dayers, saying Pakistan were determined to do their best in the three Tests.
"Misbah''s calm influence will be missed, but it is a great honour to lead my country in Test cricket and I am ready for the challenge. Test cricket demands discipline. Everyone plays a role in it, not just the captain. We will be inspired by the good work we have done in the longer format over the past few years," Hafeez said.