Salman Butt Replaces Mohammad Hafeez In Lahore Qalandars Squad

Former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt will have a chance to push his case for a return to international cricket after getting his maiden contract in Pakistan Super League. The disgraced batsman, who was caught in the match-fixing scandal during the tour of England in 2010, is set to replace injured Mohammad Hafeez in the Lahore Qalandars squad for the remainder of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL). Butt was overlooked in the last editions of the PSL.

Hafeez was ruled out of the tournament after he fractured his thumb during the match against Karachi Kings on February 16. The incident took place in the 13th over of Karachi’s chase, when Colin Ingram hit one hard towards Hafeez before the ball burst through his fingers. He immediately walked off the field after being hit on the right thumb and did not return to the field thereafter. Hafeez also missed the one against Peshawar Zalmi on Sunday before being ruled out of the tournament.

Hafeez will undergo surgery later this week and is expected to be out of the game for at least one month. In his absence, former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers will lead the side.

? @im_SalmanButt replaces Mohammad Hafeez in @lahoreqalandars' squad.
More details ? https://t.co/Fj6oBFy0HA pic.twitter.com/TQeCEfks9O

— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) February 19, 2019

“It was unfortunate to lose Hafeez. We believe that only an experienced Pakistani player like Salman Butt can replace him,” Aaqib Javed, the Qalandars director, cricket operations, said.

This will be the most high profile competition Butt will be playing in since his return in 2016 from his five-year suspension. Butt’s domestic T20 strike rate is 113.55, and he has scored 2278 runs at an average of 36.15. The southpaw averages 55.35 in T20s since returning from the ban. His average is the highest for any Pakistan player with a minimum of 500 runs. So far, Butt has made 941 runs in 24 T20 innings with nine half-centuries.

Meanwhile, Lahore Qalandars have lost two of their opening three games. They beat Karachi Kings but lost to Peshawar Zalmi and the tournament-opener against Islamabad United. The Qalandars’ next match will be against the Multan Sultans on February 22.