Hero Hafeez: I put all my issues aside
Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez says he wasn't even thinking about his off-field problems during the first ODI against Sri Lanka, which allowed him to win the match almost single-handedly.
Hafeez, who is awaiting his bowling action test results after against being reported for an illegal action, took four wickets and scored a century as Pakistan won by six wickets in Dambulla on Saturday.
Hafeez said: "I have to put all the issues aside and do what the job demands. It was a wonderful win for the team. It's always great to see Pakistan win, doesn't matter if you're playing or not. We wanted a good start to the series."
Of his century, he added: "The bowlers did a great job to restrict them to less than 260 and then we played aggressively to chase it down. It's all about going out there and expressing yourself. I went out there and backed myself, it came off as well."
Pakistan skipper Azhar Ali was thrilled with the result, and with Hafeez's efforts, saying: "It was a great team performance. Everyone played their part, especially Hafeez, who played like a champion today.
"Restricting Sri Lanka to 255 was a great thing for us. We kept them tied up in the last 10 overs as well. The bowlers bowled disciplined line and lengths throughout. The batsmen too did really well to chase it (the target) down.
He warned against getting overly confident though: "The bowlers need to be aggressive and go for wickets. Yasir (Shah) is bowling really well and he gives us another wicket-taking option.
"We shouldn't get complacent as Sri Lanka may come back hard at us. We need to continue performing like we did today."
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