Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan’s opening batsman, has been ruled out of the domestic Faysal Bank T20 competition because of a cyst on his chest that requires surgery. The timing of the surgery has been decided with an eye on Pakistan’s upcoming international commitments. “It’s a minor surgery, nothing serious, but he [Hafeez] opted to skip the Twenty20 championship as precaution,” a PCB spokesman told ESPNCricinfo. “He has very less time ahead of the Sri Lanka series [the first Test begins on October 18 in Abu Dhabi], which is followed by Bangladesh and England series. So it’s the ideal time for him to undergo surgery. “He needs to go through a recuperation process after surgery and, since the commitments of the national team obviously have priority, ensure his availability for Pakistan.” Hafeez, 30, is a key member of the Faisalabad Wolves, who kicked off their Faysal Bank campaign with a convincing 54-run win against Multan Tigers in Karachi. He was in prime form during Pakistan’s recent tour of Zimbabwe, scoring 467 runs and taking 13 wickets across formats, with four man-of-the-match awards and two centuries.
