Former Pakistan cricket captain Mohammad Hafeez was visibly moved as Pakistan produced a spectacular comeback to win the home series 2-1 against England. Pakistan defeated England thanks to the performances of spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, who were called back into the lineup amid the series. Hafeez sent a strange tweet regarding ‘exposing faces’. While it is unknown who the remark was intended at, many speculated that it had something to do with top Pakistan batter Babar Azam, who was dropped mid-series.
Most significantly, their performances revealed multiple faces,” Hafeez said on X. After losing the first Test in Multan, Pakistan dropped Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Naseem Shah from the Test squad. Instead, Kamran Ghulam, Sajid Khan, and Noman Ali were brought in. While Ghulam got a century on debut, Sajid and Noman took 39 of the 40 wickets in the two Tests, helping Pakistan win. Some fans interpreted Hafeez’s post as a dig at Babar Azam, whose departure drew a lot of criticism.
Hafeez was Pakistan’s team director and interim coach from November 2023 to February 2024, when he was fired owing to the squad’s poor performance. On Day 3 of the third Test, Pakistan limited England to 112 runs. Their final aim was 36 runs, which they achieved in 3.1 overs. This is their first home series victory since February 2021. The result moves Pakistan to seventh place in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle table, while England drops to sixth.