Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has claimed that West Indies batting legend, Brian Lara, faced difficulty while batting against his off-spin.

Hafeez, who dismissed Lara twice in One-day Internationals (ODIs) and once in Test cricket, has enjoyed considerable success against left-hand batsmen in particular over the course of his career.

“Left-handers have always had difficulty facing me. However, I have bowled well to right-handers as well. If you look at my economy rate, it’s the same against both,” Hafeez said while speaking on a local news channel. “I dismissed one of my favourite batsmen, Brian Lara, as well.”

“He [Lara] also admitted that he had difficulty batting against me. He was a world class batsman and there are very few batsmen who played spinners as well as Lara,” he claimed.

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The Sargodha-born also spoke about how his bowling rescued him when he was not able to perform well with the bar.

“In my career, my bowling has supported me a lot. If I was not able to perform with the bat in some match, I used to make up for it with my bowling. I would like to continue my success against left-handers, which is a God-gifted talent, till I am playing cricket,” he said.

The 39-year-old also said that he is planning to retire from international cricket after the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, even if it is postponed till next year.

“I want to retire from international cricket after playing the next T20 World Cup. I hope I am able to end my career with grace and respect,” he said. “I am keeping myself fit and my performances have been up to the mark in recent years. So If I am fulfilling all requirements of representing the national side, then I am available for selection, even if the event is shifted to next year.”