Pakistan’s veteran all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has recalled one of the most difficult periods of his life, as far as cricket is concerned.

The 39-year-old, who made his ODI and Test debut in 2003, remained on the sidelines for almost three years, between 2007 and 2010, due to inconsistent performances.

While talking during an Instagram live session, Hafeez opened up on how his exclusion from the national side made him a better player.  

“Back in 2007, I was not able to perform well and critics had formed an opinion that I was not cut for international cricket,” said Hafeez. “Such opinions are very hard to change and it led to one of the most difficult periods of my life.”

“Despite the criticism, I kept on putting in the hard yards and did not lose hope. People who saw me training used to laugh at me as they believed that a failed player like me was wasting their time,” he added.

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The Sargodha-born also stressed on the importance of working hard inorder to achieve any goal in life.

“Between 2007 and 2010, I worked really hard on my game and more importantly I realised that I had no one to blame but myself. This made a more professional and as soon as I started playing international cricket regularly again, I became a much-improved player,” he said. “Working hard is the only way to succeed in life.”