Mohammad Hafeez turns down lucrative BPL offer as he won't play with Mohammad Amir
Pakistan batsman Mohammad Hafeez refused a lucrative opportunity to play in the Bangladesh Premier League for Chittagong Vikings as he doesn’t want to play alongside Mohammad Amir, reports Indian Express.
Hafeez, who was the leading run scorer in four-match ODI series against England which Pakistan lost 3-1, was reportedly offered around 10 million Pakistani rupees (almost 63 lakh Indian rupees) to play for the Vikings, who had already signed Amir.
The 35-year-old batsman, who has played over 200 limited-overs games for Pakistan and is the country’s leading run scorer in T20s refused the lucrative offer as he did not want to be associated with a player who had tarnished the name of Pakistan cricket.
“It is not about individuals or any personality clash. 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,” Hafeez told the ‘Jang’ newspaper in Dubai.
Hafeez had previously made his opinion clear on the three players who were involved in the spot fixing scandal that brought a black mark on Pakistan cricket. When the Pakistan team was practicing at the national cricket academy in Lahore, Hafeez refused to face Amir in the nets due to his tainted past.
It is also understood that Hafeez is part of a group of current Pakistan players, who don’t want to see the tainted trio of Amir, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif ever play for Pakistan again.
The BPL, which has some of the finest T20 players in the world, including Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine and Kumar Sangakkara starts on Sunday, with Amir’s side Chittagong Vikings playing in the opener against Rangpur Riders.
The tournament also features some of the top Pakistan players, including Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Wahab Riaz and Yasir Shah, who will join their respective squads after the conclusion of the T20 series against England.
Amir, who is one of three Pakistani players who were involved in the spot fixing scandal, along with Butt and Asif, was hoping to make an international return with a good showing in the BPL.
After being drafted into the Vikings squad alongside Umar Akmal and Kamran Akmal, Amir said: "I am really thankful to the team for choosing me and I will try my best to give them my 100 percent performance and enthrall the Bangladeshi fans. It will be the first step towards reviving my international career.”