Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez gets slammed for 'bad taste' tweet on New Zealand players

Former skipper Mohammad Hafeez openly criticised New Zealand Cricket for abandoning the Pakistan tour midway. It so happened that on Friday, the two-time World Cup finalists had abruptly pulled off from the bilateral series with immediate effect citing security threats. However, after the abrupt postponement of the ODI series, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issued a statement, laying the blame on New Zealand for not remaining patient, and walking out of the series. 

Mohammad Hafeez's tweet does not go down well with fans & Mitchell McClenaghan

Taking to the micro-blogging site, Hafeez had posted an image of the New Zealand players at the Rawalpindi airport where they are all set to depart to their home country. The veteran all-rounder then thanked the security of Pakistan forces for making arrangements for New Zealand Cricket to reach the airport safely. Mohammad Hafeez then asked whether there were no security threats since the NZ players took the same route where they had come from.

Mohammad Hafeez's tweet was not received well by the cricket fans on social media and here's how they reacted.

Meanwhile, New Zealand pacer Mitchell McClenaghan came forward and asked the ex-Pak skipper to have some decency before adding that the NZ players were just abiding by the rules.

Taking to his official Twitter handle, the Kiwi fast bowler called out the 2017 Champions Trophy winner for his tweet which had a 'bad taste'. Giving further clarification on the same, McClenaghan urged the latter not to blame the players or the organisation and instead blame the New Zealand government. Furthermore, the left-arm pacer added that the players have only acted on the advice they have received.

At the same time, the southpaw also added he was confident that his team's young players wanted to prove their mettle on the cricket field had they got a chance to play but in the end, had no choice whatsoever after the tour was called off midway and had to follow the rules.

Pakistan vs New Zealand series abandoned

The trouble began when the first ODI of the white ball series could not begin on time at the Rawalpindi Stadium on Friday after both teams remained in their hotel rooms. New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White later issued a statement, saying that it was simply not possible to continue with the tour given the advice he was receiving.

"I understand this will be a blow for the PCB, who have been wonderful hosts, but player safety is paramount and we believe this is the only responsible option," he stated in a press release.

New Zealand Cricket Players Association chief executive Heath Mills echoed White's sentiments and said, "The players are in good hands; they're safe and everyone's acting in their best interests."

NZC said that it will not comment on the details of the security threat nor the updated arrangements for the departing squad. The Pakistan Cricket Board, on its part, said that New Zealand had unilaterally decided to postpone the series. 

"Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan Government made foolproof security arrangements for all visiting teams. We have assured New Zealand Cricket of the same. The Pakistan Prime Minister spoke personally to the Prime Minister of New Zealand and informed her that we have one of the best intelligence systems in the world and that no security threat of any kind exists for the visiting team," the PCB said in a statement.

The PCB also stated that the security officials of the New Zealand team were satisfied with security arrangements made by the hosts throughout their stay there.