Mohammad Hafeez rejects rumours about his unavailability for South Africa T20Is

Pakistan's veteran all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has refuted claims about his unavailability for the T20I series against South Africa scheduled next month.

Earlier, reports were circulating in social media about Mohammad Hafeez's unavailability for the said series given his participation in the upcoming edition of the T10 League.

However, Mohammad Hafeez has stated that playing for Pakistan is his number one priority. He also clarified that he has been offered an NOC by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for participation in the T10 League, and he will comply with all bio-bubble protocols, saying in this regard:

“I’m fully available for the T20I series (against South Africa) as my priority is always playing for Pakistan. I was also given an NOC for the T10 League because it would not clash with Pakistan’s international commitments. I will also comply with all the bio-secure bubble requirements".

The T10 League is scheduled to be held between January 28 and February 6 in Abu Dhabi. Pakistan's T20I series against South Africa, on the other hand, commences on February 11.

"My experience with Misbah-ul-Haq has been very good": Mohammad Hafeez

Mohammad Hafeez (left) and Misbah-ul-Haq

Reflecting on his relationship with Misbah-ul-Haq, who is the team's head coach, Mohammad Hafeez said that it has been very good, and he has been granted freedom to train according to his requirements, something that wasn't the case with earlier coaches:

“My experience with Misbah as coach has been very good over the past year, as I have had the freedom to train according to my requirements which was usually not the case over the course of my career. I think your success and failures are entirely up to you. You can’t blame others for not doing well on the field. I hope the shortcomings will be rectified through players’ performances because at the end of the day, they are the ones who are playing on the field."

Mohammad Hafeez also credited the PCB for arranging the home series against South Africa. The 40-year old feels that the visit of South Africa will give a lot of confidence to other teams to visit Pakistan in the near future.