Mohammad Hafeez (Urdu: mHmd HfyZ; born 17 October 1980 in Sargodha, Punjab) is a Pakistani cricket player, who plays all forms of the game and a former T20I captain of Pakistan cricket team. Hafeez usually opens the batting and forms part of the bowling attack. In 2012-2013, he was ranked as the top all-rounder by the ICC Player Rankings in T20 format. He is known for his intelligent batting but also for aggressive shot plays when needed.
Rising through ranks
In 2011 he won an amazing 10 Man-of-the-Match awards in all forms of international cricket and became only the third player (after Sanath Jayasuriya and Jacques Kallis) to score 1000 runs and take 30 wickets in ODI matches within a calendar year.  Against India on 18 March 2012 in Bangladesh at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur at the 2012 Asia Cup, he scored 105 off 113 balls and was involved in a 224 run partnership with Nasir Jamshed, which is the best opening partnership for Pakistan against India in one day internationals. They eclipsed Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar's record of 144 runs which was made in 1996. He made his 4th ODI century in March 2012 against Bangladesh at Dhaka. He also made his highest test score of 196 against Sri Lanka in the second Test at Colombo in June 2012. He is currently (2012) ranked number two in the ICC ODI rankings for both bowlers and all-rounders.  In December 2012, during the tour of Pakistani cricket team in India in 2012-13, he came across as a very different and aggressive batsman and scored so brilliantly and briskely and helped Pakistan to win the first T20I and 2nd ODI with his heroics of brilliant batting and nearly chasing a mountain high target of 191 in the second T20I. His scores were 61 and 55 in first and second T20I respectively and scored 76 runs in the 2nd ODI and sharing an opening stand of 141 with Nasir Jamshed and also bowled brilliantly as always economically to help Pakistan win their first ODI series in India since 7 years. He is now considered to be the main allrounder of Pakistan Cricket team. He had a great series against Sri Lanka in Dec 2013, where he scored 122 in the first match, 140* in the third and 113* in the fourth match. Thus he became, the second batsman after Zaheer Abbas to score 3 centuries in an ODI series. Hafeez was initially selected in the Pakistan squad for the 2015 World Cup but was ruled out 6 days before the World Cup due to a calf injury. He was replaced by Nasir Jamshed.

Q: How did he begin his rise to prominence?
A: In 2011 he won an amazing 10 Man-of-the-Match awards in all forms of international cricket and became only the third player
Third player...?
only the third player (after Sanath Jayasuriya and Jacques Kallis) to score 1000 runs and take 30 wickets in ODI matches
only the third player (after Sanath Jayasuriya and Jacques Kallis) to score 1000 runs and take 30 wickets in ODI matches