An opening batsman and a handy offspin bowler, Hafeez was one of the young players that the Pakistan selectors turned to after the team’s abysmal display in the 2003 World Cup. His performances in Sharjah and in the NatWest Challenge in England indicated that Hafeez could well be a long-term prospect - he showed good technique and temperament at the top of the order and bowled his offspinners tidily, but most impressive was his performance in the field. Patrolling the point and covers region with feverish alertness, he saved plenty of runs and pulled off an amazing catch.

His organised approach towards batting ensured that he got an opportunity in the Test team in the three-Test series against Bangladesh. He didn’t do badly either, scoring a half-century on debut, and then stroking his first hundred in his second Test. However, his form then dipped alarmingly in the ODIs against South Africa, leading to his exclusion from the Test squad. Soon after he was dropped from the ODI squad as well.

He has remained on the fringes of the national squad however with a string of impressive domestic performances, coupled with useful hands for the Pakistan A squad. He was called back to the ODI side in 2005 but failed to achieve any significant results. A spanking century for Pakistan A against Australia A in the Top End Series in Australia during the summer of 2006, allied with the exacerbtion of Pakistan’s opening problems on the tour to England, meant that Hafeez returned for the Oval Test annd amidst all debris, his calm and signficant 95 was all but forgotten.

He has been adequate rather than spectacular though given the problems Pakistan have with openers and that a World Cup is on the horizon, Hafeez is likely to remain involved for some time. .. .