Mohammad Hafeez, the Pakistan batsman, has signed with Dhaka Dynamites for the remainder of BPL 2015. He will arrive in Bangladesh on Sunday night and is expected to play his first match against Chittagong Vikings two days later.
Hafeez, who was ignored by all five BPL franchises during the draft process, will now make a late dash to Dhaka with the tournament reaching its business end. His BPL stint comes at a time when his limited-overs form form has been patchy in the recently-concluded series against England in the United Arab Emirates.
“We have signed a deal with Mohammad Hafeez for Dhaka and he will play his first match on December 8,” said Moghees Sheikh, Hafeez’s manager. “They [Dhaka] were not sure (earlier) about players’ selection but now they have realised that they require him as he can be handful on his day on Bangladesh pitches.”
Hafeez had earlier claimed he turned down an offer to the tune of Rs 10 million from Chittagong because he did not want to play alongside Mohammad Amir, who is taking baby steps into the game since returning from a five-year spot-fixing ban.
“I am not against any individuals,” said Hafeez. “It is about the image of Pakistan cricket. I cannot play with any player who has tarnished and brought a bad name to the country. But, yes, if any other team offered me the contract with good money I could definitely play the BPL. Otherwise I prefer playing for my domestic team, SNGPL, in Quaid-e-Azam trophy at home.”
Hafeez, who was once again asked about the possibility of playing with Amir, remained defiant and firm in his view of not associating himself with tainted players. “When they say it and talk to me I will answer them accordingly,” he said. “For now, my personal view is that I can’t play with such players in the same team. But if any player like him can come and play against me, I will surely play against them, but will not share the same dressing room in the same team which I am playing for.”
