Senior Pakistan batsman Mohammad Hafeez has injured himself while playing for his Pakistan Super League side and former Test captain Salman Butt, who served a five-year ban for spot-fixing, was on Tuesday named his replacement.
The 38-year-old Hafeez fractured his right thumb while trying to take a catch of his own bowling in a match of the PSL while captaining the Lahore franchise.
Hafeez has now been advised to undergo surgery either in Dubai or London and he has been released by his franchise, which announced Butt as his replacement. Hefeez’s participation in the upcoming World Cup may also be in doubt.
“Hafeez’s participation in the One-day series against Australia in UAE and even the World Cup is now in doubt as early indications are that he will require six to eight weeks to recover from his injury,” a source in the Pakistan Cricket Board said.
Butt told PTI he was delighted with his call-up as he had been part of the players draft for the last three years but was not picked.
{{/usCountry}}Butt told PTI he was delighted with his call-up as he had been part of the players draft for the last three years but was not picked.
{{/usCountry}}“I am excited obviously to get such a chance,” he said.
Butt served a five-year ban from September 2010 to September 2015 after being found guilty of spot-fixing by the International Cricket Council on the tour of England in 2010.
His teammates, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Aamir were also given similar bans by the ICC which expired in 2015.
Butt, who has not been considered for national selection since his ban expired despite doing well in domestic cricket in all formats, was a member of the national squad that won the World T20 in 2009 in England.