Wasim Akram wants Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz to be ‘brave’, wishes Pakistan luck for series against Australia

Wasim Akram has thrown his support behind Mohammad Hafeez, the director of the Pakistan cricket team, and Wahab Riaz, the chief selector, to make the right calls in the upcoming tour of Australia. Akram advised the duo to trust their instincts and be brave and not look at holding frequent press conferences. Former cricketers Hafeez and Wahab were appointed as the team director and chief selector respectively after Pakistan’s mediocre performance in the World Cup. Their first challenge is a formidable one, when they take on Australia in a challenging three-match Test series Down Under. This series holds additional significance as it marks Shan Masood's debut as the Test captain - he got the job after Babar Azam stepped down as captain . Wasim Akram expressed his best wishes for the Pakistan team in a video shared on his social media account ahead of this crucial series.

“Pakistan team has reached Australia and I wish them all the best for the Test series. Mohammad Hafeez has joined the Pakistan Cricket Board as team director and Wahab Riaz has taken over as chief selector, Kamran Akmal and all others,” Akram said in the video. After a disappointing World Cup campaign where Pakistan lost five out of nine matches and had to contend with a fifth-place finish, PCB undertook a comprehensive overhaul of the national team. Babar Azam stepped down from captaincy across all formats while Shan Masood and Shaheen Afridi were appointed captains for Tests and T20I respectively. As such, Akram wanted the fans to give this new management some time to prove themselves. “These are present cricketers. This is their time and let’s give them at least one year to prove themselves. And one more advice, don’t hold press conferences every three minutes. Stick to your decisions and be brave,” Akram further added. Pakistan have not been very successful in Test cricket in Australia. Since 1995, they have lost 14 consecutive matches. This series will start with the Test in Perth from 14 December, followed by the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and the Sydney Test from 3 January.