The real reason why Mohammad Hafeez was dropped from T20I squad

The chief selector of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Mohammad Wasim has announced the 20-men Pakistan squad for T20I series against South Africa during a press conference in Lahore that was broadcasted live on the PCB official YouTube channel.

Wasim’s first task was to select the squad for Test series in the ongoing South Africa tour of Pakistan. The management and the enthusiasts were happy to see half ratio of the men evolving from domestic cricket.

In the T20I squad, Shadab Khan and Imam ul-Haq missed out due to the injuries they sustained during the New Zealand tour. Uncapped players Zahid Mehmood, Zafar Gohar, Aamer Yamin and Danish Aziz have been included in the side.

Among the players who were dropped were openers Fakhar Zaman and Abdullah Shafique along with fast bowler Mohammad Musa.

The other players who were excluded from the squad were Wahab Riaz, Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim and Mohammad Hafeez. Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Hafeez were unavailable due to the ongoing Abu Dhabi T10 League.

Why Mohammad Hafeez was dropped from the squad?

All-rounder Mohammad Hafeez was dropped from the national side due to his unavailability as he is playing the ongoing Abu Dhabi T10 League where he is representing Maratha Arabians. Fans were disappointed as the “Professor” was not included in the squad for the South Africa T20I series.

However, shortly after the announcement of the squad, Mohammad Hafeez tweeted on his Twitter with this caption;

إِنَّ اللّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ ٢:١٥٣
“Indeed ALLAH is with the patient” pic.twitter.com/ff1VLMpmwv

— Mohammad Hafeez (@MHafeez22) January 31, 2021

This raised the eyebrows from all the fans. Questions were raised whether it was the ego of the management that led this decision. But it was already reported by SAMAA TV that Hafeez had discussions on the availability for the squad after the end of T10 League.

He told PCB he could be back by 6th February before he left. The board said to him that 3rd February is the date for the return due to the bubble the players will need to enter else he will be deemed unavailable. All of this was discussed and known before he left for UAE.

Pakistan will play three T20 Internationals against South Africa starting from 11th February. All matches will be held in Lahore starting at 3:30 pm Local time.

Read more: Mohammad Wasim announces squad for T20I series