Mohammad Hafeez Believes Pakistan Has Lost Its ‘Winning Formula’

Former Pakistani cricketer and ex-PCB director of the national side, Mohammad Hafeez believes Pakistan has lost its ‘winning formula’ since transitioning back to playing on home soil from their adopted home in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Pakistan’s last Test victory at home dates back to February 2021, and the team has struggled to secure a win since then. This struggle was highlighted by a recent 2-0 Test series defeat against Bangladesh, a result that has intensified scrutiny on the team’s performance in familiar conditions.

Hafeez, who also served as the director of the Pakistan men’s team, acknowledged Bangladesh as the deserved winner of the series. “At the international level, you cannot consider anyone weak. Bangladesh deserved to win in Pakistan because of their mindset, body language, the way they played positive cricket, and their management made good decisions,” he stated.

The former captain pointed out that Pakistan’s inability to dominate at home stems from losing the ‘winning formula’ they had developed while playing in the UAE.

“Unfortunately, Pakistan is missing the formula to win at home in Pakistan. We had acquired the winning formula at Pakistan’s adopted home, which was UAE,” Hafeez explained. “We won the Test mace and became the top-ranked team because we had the formula to win at home. Since cricket returned to Pakistan, that formula is missing, and nobody managed to attain it back.”

Hafeez further highlighted the infrastructural differences between Pakistan and the UAE, particularly criticizing the poor condition of pitches in Pakistan. He suggested that these conditions are a significant factor in the team’s inability to leverage home advantage, unlike teams such as Australia, England, and India, who have successfully adapted their strategies to their home environments.