Pakistan Team Director Mohammad Hafeez misses flight to Sydney ahead of 3rd Test against Australia, catches another after few hours: Reports
Pakistan head coach and team director Mohammad Hafeez has reportedly missed the flight to Sydney ahead of the final Test against Australia at SCG, which begins on January 3.
According to reports, the former Pakistan opener was to travel with his wife but reached the airport late, causing the authorities to not let him board the flight. Reports have also indicated that Hafeez and his wife failed to check the time of the flight, with the couple boarding another after a few hours.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) hasn't issued a statement on the same yet. The third and final Test between the two sides will take place in Sydney from January 3 to 7.
The tourists have already lost the series as Australia took a 2-0 lead with a 79-run victory in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Several reports have indicated that Saim Ayub will make his Test debut in Sydney at Imam-ul-Haq's expense, with the latter's inability to take the game on coming under scrutiny.
Mohammad Hafeez blames inconsistent umpiring behind losing the Boxing Day Test
Hafeez called out the inconsistent umpiring and dodgy technology after Pakistan fell short of 79 runs at the MCG. Pointing to Mohammad Rizwan's dismissal, the 43-year-old highlighted that the ball didn't touch the gloves at all.
"We made some mistakes as a team, we will take that, we will address those things, but at the same time, I believe inconsistent umpiring and technology curse [has] really given us the result which should have been different.
"I feel like these are the areas that need to be addressed. I spoke to [Rizwan] and he's a very honest person. He said he did not even feel that it touched anywhere near the gloves. And what we saw, there should be conclusive evidence to reverse the decision of the umpire."
Pakistan have failed to win a Test Down Under since 1995.